National Call-In Day #3: Last Chance to Stop the #TaxOnDisability
UPDATE – December 19, 2017
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act this afternoon (around 1:30pm Eastern Time). After that vote is completed, the Senate will engage in 10 hours of debate on the bill before voting late tonight.
This is an accelerated schedule from what we initially expected. Please call your Senators and Representatives NOW to STOP the #TaxOnDisability!
December 17, 2017
As the saying goes, “the third time is the charm!” Please join us for one more National Call-In Day to oppose the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and stop the #TaxOnDisability. The House and Senate are expected to vote on the final bill, just released by the conference committees on Friday, in the next couple days. The Senate is expected to vote on Monday 12/18 or Tuesday 12/19, while the House of Representatives is expected to vote on Tuesday 12/19.
National Call-In Day: No Tax on Disability!
December 18, 2017
Call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 (voice) or 202-224-3091 (TTY)
Join people with disabilities, our families, and advocates around the country this Monday, December 18, for another national call-in day to oppose the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
- Sample Script and Talking Points
- Senators and Representatives to Target
- Social Media Thunderclap (12/18 at 12pm ET)
- Email Guide
- Sample Tweets
- Facebook Event
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is very close to reaching President Trump’s desk and becoming law. NOW is the time to call your Representative and tell them to OPPOSE this dangerous bill!
- The Top 5 Reasons the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is Bad for People with Disabilities – Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (published prior to the final version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act)
Key disability-related provisions of the final Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:
- Individual Mandate under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is repealed
“Elimination of Shared Responsibility Payment for Individuals Failing to Maintain Minimal Essential Coverage. The conference agreement follows the Senate amendment.” (p 153) - Disabled Access Credit is kept
“Repeal of credit for expenditures to provide access to disabled individuals. … The conference agreement does not follow the House bill provision.” (p 290) - Work Opportunity Tax Credit is kept
“Repeal of work opportunity tax credit. … The conference agreement does not follow the House bill provision.” (p 285) - Orphan Drug credit is reduced to 25%
“Repeal of credit for clinical testing expenses for certain drugs for rare diseases or conditions. … The conference agreement follows the Senate amendment, but reduces the credit rate to 25 percent of qualified clinical testing expenses.” (p 282) - Expands the Medical Expense Deduction
“Provides relief for Americans with expensive medical bills by expanding the medical expense deduction for 2017 and 2018 for medical expenses exceeding 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income, and rising to 10 percent beginning in 2019.” (Tax Cuts & Jobs Act Policy Highlights)
Despite changes to the final bill and some provisions that could benefit people with disabilities, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is, ultimately, detrimental to the well-being of people with disabilities. This legislation repeals the Affordable Care Act’s Individual Mandate, which, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), will “increase the number of uninsured people by 4 million in 2019 and 13 million in 2027.”
Furthermore, while the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act does not include direct cuts to Medicaid or other disability services, these cuts are expected to follow to offset the roughly $1.5 trillion added to the deficit due to providing large tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. Medicaid and other disability services were the target of intense cuts over the summer through the various Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal bills proposed in the House and Senate. There is no doubt that these same services remain on the chopping block to help pay for the proposed tax cuts.
Additional Resources
- #TaxOnDisability – Rooted in Rights
- One Last Chance to Fight the GOP Tax Bill! Take Action Now and Participate in Monday’s Call-In Day! – National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)
- Advocacy Organizations Opposed to Congressional Tax Plan – Center for Medicare Advocacy
- The Tax Bill Is Bad for America’s Health – Families USA
- Q&A: Tax bill impacts ‘Obamacare’ and potentially Medicare – AP
- Repealing the Individual Health Insurance Mandate Restricts Freedom – The Commonwealth Fund
- I don’t like the GOP tax bill, but now my life depends on beating it – The Washington Post
