Tax Day: New Dem Ideas for Tax Reform that Helps You and Your Family
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Tax Reform that Helps You and Your Family
The fifteenth of this month is more than just two weeks after April Fools’ Day – it’s a yearly reminder that America’s tax code is burying families under mounds of paperwork, stifling innovation, and preventing us from unlocking our true economic potential. Since 1987 – one year after the last major overhaul of the tax code – entrepreneurship in the United States has been on the decline, with over 240,000 potential startups sitting on the sidelines. At the same time, compliance costs, including the cost of our onerous tax code, hit small businesses nearly 60 percent more than large businesses. It’s time for Congress to summon the political courage that only comes once in a quarter century and fix the tax code for once and for all.
Tax reform isn’t just about helping large companies; it’s about helping everyday Americans who are uncertain about their ability to get ahead in this economy and putting more dollars in middle-class Americans’ pockets. The New Dems ‘April 15th’ bills below help everyone file their taxes, save for their kids’ college education, put aside a few extra dollars for child care expenses, upgrade their skills through apprenticeship programs, and more. Read more about our legislative efforts below.
New Democrat Coalition Members’ Tax Reform Bills
Simplifying Tax Filing: Rep. Bill Foster’s (D-IL) Autofill Act would create a voluntary tax filing program that would allow individuals to log in to a secure IRS website and download a tax form automatically populated with information that the IRS already collects from employers, the Social Security Administration, health insurance companies, and financial institutions. Taxpayers currently spend an estimated 6.1 billion hours a year complying with the tax code and an average of over $200 on tax preparation fees.
Helping Americans Upgrade Their Skills: Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL) spearheaded the Workforce Development Tax Credit Act, legislation to create a tax credit for employers that participate in apprenticeship programs. Statistics from the Center for American Progress show that, on average, Americans who participate in apprenticeship programs earn a starting salary of $50,000 and earn $240,000 more than those without apprenticeship experience.
Making it Easier to Balance Work and Family: Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) introduced the Child and Dependent Care FSA Enhancement Act, which would increase the amount that families can put into dependent care flexible spending accounts and index the increased amount to inflation after 2016, making it easier for working families with children and dependents to balance their careers with their lives at home.
Strengthening College Savings: Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) led the bipartisan H.R. 529, a bill to make it easier for American parents to save for their kids’ college and reduce the crushing student loan debt burden on young Americans. The bill would allow parents with 529 plans to use the funds in those plans for modern education expenses, like computer technology and equipment. It also eliminates an unnecessary and burdensome paperwork burden to make it easier for Americans to utilize 529 programs. A popular tool for middle-class families saving for college, the total number of 529 accounts in America rose from 2.4 million in 2001 to nearly 12 million in 2014.
Encouraging Young College Graduates to Save More: Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) introduced legislation to create a 401(k)-style system to encourage employers to help their employees pay off their student loan debt. Both employers and employees’ contributions to the new system would be shielded from the payroll tax as an incentive to encourage Americans to participate.
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