Cherry-Picking Tax Cut Estimates

Rep. Kevin Brady, the chairman of the House tax-writing committee, made misleading claims about the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by the House earlier this month:

• Brady said “70 percent of the tax relief goes to those families making less than $200,000.” But that refers only to the individual income tax changes and only for 2019. By 2027, 50 percent of tax relief as a result of business and individual tax changes would go to those making more than $200,000 a year, according to congressional tax analysts.
• Brady said his bill provides “tax relief at every level.” That’s true initially, according to congressional analysts, but over time some income levels will pay more in taxes. That’s because the bill ends a new tax credit after 2022 and changes how tax brackets are adjusted for inflation, pushing more people over time into higher tax brackets.

Brady made” when he was asked if the House tax plan cuts taxes “on people who don’t pay taxes” and raises taxes “on the people who pay taxes.” In his answer, Brady talked about taxpayers with income of up to $200,000, which he described as the “range of middle class … that we all worry about.”