Republicans Struggle to Make Tax Cuts a Winning Election Issue
By Sahil Kapur
April 16, 2018, 4:00 AM EDT
Some surveys show majority of voters dont approve of law
Democrats have framed tax overhaul as giveway to the wealthy
Moments after the Republican tax overhaul passed in the Senate in mid-December, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that if he and his party members couldnt sell the cuts to the American people, they should find another line of work.
Four months later, some GOP lawmakers who hoped the law would save them from defeat may have to start dusting off their resumes.
Some
recent polls show that the majority of Americans still dont support the tax law, despite an uptick in sentiment since the end of 2017. And a special House election in a conservative district of Pennsylvania in March delivered an
upset victory to the Democratic candidate, whod framed the tax cuts as a giveaway to the wealthy.
If they cant run on tax cuts in a district Trump won by 20 [points] and win, where can they run on tax cuts and win? said
David Wasserman, House editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
After most individual taxpayers finish up their returns this week, all eyes will turn to what the tax code revamp means for next years filings and beyond. Part of the Republican partys problem in selling the tax cuts is that the answer is murky for many. Variables like dependents and itemized deductions can complicate the picture, even though most -- 65 percent -- will see a
tax cut in 2018. And even for voters who do see a cut, whether its enough to sway their decisions at the ballot box is far from clear.
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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-16/republicans-struggle-to-make-tax-cuts-a-winning-election-issue