Statement by CWA President Chris Shelton on the Trump Tax Plan

“President Trump has promised that ‘we will cut taxes tremendously for the middle class.’ The truth is, this plan is a billionaire’s dream masquerading as a tax cut for middle class families.

Instead of funding programs that support working families, President Trump and Republican leaders are pushing steep cuts in tax rates that primarily benefit the wealthiest Americans and corporations.

The idea that corporations will use these cuts to create jobs in the U.S. is laughable. Many U.S. corporations already pay taxes at a rate lower than that proposed by the Trump plan. Instead of investing in and creating good U.S. jobs, these corporations have slashed employment and are sending jobs overseas or to low-wage contractors. Any corporate tax cut will only further pad the bottom line of executives and top stockholders.

For months, we’ve seen the White House and Republican leadership in Congress work furiously to try to cut Medicaid, health care, and other programs that working families depend on, to finance a big tax giveaway to corporations and the wealthy.

Unfortunately, if this tax plan becomes law, we will see those attacks intensify, as revenue declines and our government finds itself unable to pay for repairs to crumbling roads and bridges, for disaster relief and first responders, and for the public services that are critical to our lives.

Rather than benefiting from ‘the biggest tax cut ever,’ working and middle class families will be shouldering the costs. That’s not a plan working people can support.”

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The Communications Workers of America represents 700,000 working men and women in telecommunications, media, airlines, public service and manufacturing.