Scoop: Trump might let taxes rise for the rich to cover breaks on tips The Trump administration is discussing a surprising option to help fulfill his campaign-trail promises: Allowing the richest Americans' tax rates to rise in return for cutting taxes on tips, a senior White House official tells Axios. The big picture: Some White House officials believe letting income taxes on the very highest earners rise would buy breathing room on other priorities, and help blunt Democrats' attacks as they seek to extend President Trump's 2017 tax cuts. Officials say all discussions are preliminary and nothing is set in stone. By the numbers: Currently the top income tax rate is 37%, charged on income above $609,351 for an individual or $731,201 for a married couple. If the 2017 law were allowed to expire, that would jump to the pre-2018 rate of 39.6%, and lower the threshold above which the top rate applies. Around 1% of taxpayers are in that top bracket, though they pay a disproportionate share of income taxes. Under the budget reconciliation rules that Republicans seek to use to extend the tax cuts, that would free up more revenue that could be used to fulfill some of Trump's populist promises, such as eliminating taxes on tips.
Tax the monopolistic (socialist) corporations that have lobbied congress the most. Tax the corrupt non profits, revoking their tax exemption. Let individuals be as rich as they can be, give them tax breaks for every plant they build. There should be no regressive self employment tax either.
And the restaurants just reduce wages more without anybody to stop them. So it's a populist gift, but not to the servers so much. Without the wage protections that Harris envisioned, this could turn into a net loss for workers while benefiting business owners. Also, if they don't pay tax, what happens to social security contributions? Is that still deducted? if businesses or workers start underreporting tips due to the tax exemption, it could reduce Social Security contributions over time, weakening future benefits for those workers.
Lazy of you. Though, Andy Kaufman faked his death. I bring him up because it was once noted that Andy leaned into unpopular acts, as if you can destroy your own life, you have control over it. Conspiracy theorists do something similar, they seek control in an unpredictable world by inventing things they have an inside track on. And no one has weaponized that impulse in his cult rubes more effectively than this guy: Election fraud ("The Big Lie") – Claimed the 2020 election was stolen. Dominion voting machines – Alleged they switched votes from Trump to Biden. Dead people voting – Suggested deceased individuals cast votes in 2020. 2024 election interference – Claimed Biden would manipulate or cancel the election. Obama’s birth certificate ("Birtherism") – Falsely claimed Obama was born in Kenya. Ted Cruz’s father & JFK – Suggested Cruz’s father was linked to JFK’s assassination. Clinton Body Count – Implied the Clintons were involved in multiple suspicious deaths. Deep State coup – Claimed a secret government network worked to undermine him. Biden’s FBI targeting him – Alleged Biden orchestrated FBI investigations against him. Fake news media – Claimed major outlets fabricate stories to attack him. Social media censorship – Argued tech companies conspire to silence conservatives. Ukraine & Biden corruption – Suggested Biden and his son were involved in Ukrainian corruption. Russia hoax – Claimed the Russia investigation was a fabricated Democratic plot. ISIS & Obama – Suggested Obama "founded" ISIS. NATO freeloader theory – Insisted NATO allies were exploiting the U.S. financially. COVID-19 as a hoax – Downplayed the virus and suggested it was exaggerated for political reasons. Hydroxychloroquine suppression – Claimed the medical community hid its effectiveness. Wind turbine cancer – Stated (without evidence) that wind turbines cause cancer. Vaccines & autism – Promoted the discredited theory linking vaccines to autism. War on Christmas – Claimed liberals conspired to erase "Merry Christmas." Caravan invasions – Suggested migrant caravans were funded by globalists like George Soros. CRT & school indoctrination – Argued schools are teaching anti-American propaganda. Federal Reserve sabotage – Accused the Fed of manipulating interest rates to hurt him. Stock market manipulation – Claimed media and Democrats tried to tank markets to harm his re-election. QAnon – Suggested he was fighting a secret cabal of elite pedophiles. 5G & COVID-19 – Retweeted a conspiracy linking 5G networks to COVID-19 spread. Weather control by China – Suggested China was manipulating weather against the U.S. And many more.