GOP tax plan is really just a scam

It is no surprise that the Republicans and Trump can't keep the promises they have made to the middle class. Now this latest tax scam doesn't even try to keep the promise of a tax policy that will cut middle class taxes and grow jobs.

This tax scam will give massive tax cuts to the wealthy and the largest corporations. It's designed that way: it lowers the tax rate for wealthy individuals and phases out or outright repeals other provisions, like the estate tax and the alternative minimum tax. That only benefits the wealthy because those taxes only affect the wealthy - and there's nothing that benefits the middle class that isn't wiped out by some other change that the tax scam makes.

Just as bad, this latest tax scam makes the existing terrible inequality even worse. The majority of the benefits of this tax scam flow to the top one percent - a slice of the population notably that is 100 percent rich and 82 percent white. Minorities need not apply for fair tax treatment. This tax scam will actually increase the federal taxes on many middle class Illinois payers due to the proposed reduction of the deductibility of state and local taxes.

Worst of all this tax scam is designed to explode the federal budget deficit by more than $1.5 trillion over 10 years even after the by bogus growth forecasts they predict using the fairy tale math of trickledown economics. This tax scam is a set up for massive future cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, education and infrastructure spending … all the programs which really do create jobs and provide critical benefits to the middle class.

Call your congressman and tell them that you vote and you will not stand for this tax scam.

Bill Scown

Geneva