Misleading

A recent letter titled “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act” (Spokesman-Review, 9/2/18), that erroneously concludes “This tax cut benefits the middle class”, is a classic example of grossly misleading statistics like those used by Cathy McMorris Rodgers.

The letter misleads by comparing percentage cuts rather than absolute dollar cuts. In absolute dollars, a larger percentage cut of a relatively small number (middle class income) is much smaller than a smaller percentage cut of a huge number (top one percent income)

Thus the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center has estimated that, under the law, the middle fifth of American households will see an average increase in after-tax income this year of $930 while the top one percent gets an average increase of $51,140; and, incidentally, this is paid for by a huge increase in national debt (nonpartisan CBO).

Economist Lisa Brown agrees: “The fundamental reality of this [tax] bill is that 83 percent of the benefits go to the top one percent, and I don’t see that as pro-most families. And I don’t see it as pro-economy either” (Spokesman-Review, 12/21/17).

So, middle class, which would you prefer: your (larger percentage) $930 tax cut or the top one percent’s (smaller percentage) $51,140 cut?

--Norm Luther, Spokane