美国国家公共电台 NPR House GOP Tax Plan Is Little Help To High-Tax States Like New Jersey

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Senate Republicans are expected to unveil their version of a tax overhaul¹ today. Like the House bill that's already moving along, the Senate version is being touted² as a way to keep more money in Americans' pockets. But for millions of middle-income earners in high-cost states, the changes could eliminate big tax deductions⁵. From member station WSHU, Charles Lane reports.

CHARLES LANE, BYLINE⁶: Westfield, N.J., is one of the highest-taxed places in the country, so a tax cut sounded great to Kassie Smith, but the House GOP plan instead hit with a thud.

KASSIE SMITH: Well, I was hoping that they would give us more things to deduct³ on our tax returns honestly because that would make us be able to stay here.

LANE: Smith is a bookkeeper, and her husband is an auto⁷ mechanic. Because of the high cost of living in northern New Jersey⁸, They've often talked about moving. But right now, they're doing what they can to keep school taxes down by organizing this garage sale to raise money for the high school football team.

SMITH: So they can get new helmets or new cleats or have breakfasts.

LANE: The Smiths pay nearly $12,000 a year in property taxes. Because they live close to New York City, there's a lot of density⁹ and need for bridges and trains and police. Living near such an expensive big city also pushes incomes higher, even for blue collar workers, and puts them in a higher tax bracket. Being able to deduct local income and property taxes even things out, but reducing those deductions, as the House plan currently does, means no tax savings¹⁰. In fact, the Smiths worry that their tax bill could go up.

SMITH: I'm not going to tell my boss, oh, my taxes went up $600 this year, you need to give me $600 more in pay.

LANE: Six-hundred dollars is probably on the low side. An analysis by the Tax Policy Center, a research group, suggests that while most Americans will see a tax cut, almost 10 percent of middle-class workers will see an immediate¹¹ increase of more than $1,000. But the Smiths and others in high-cost states like New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts or Virginia could see higher increases. Libertarian Walter Luers says maybe that's a good thing in the long run.

WALTER LUERS: Other states would say we have too much government here in New Jersey.

LANE: Luers is with the New Jersey Taxpayers¹² Association and has been pushing to lower property taxes in New Jersey. Some argue that losing these deductions just might finally push local tax rates down. Also, why should taxpayers in Wichita subsidize public pensions in New Jersey?

LUERS: Someone from, say, Oklahoma or Texas or Kansas will say, well, look, your property taxes are much higher. And you have a higher level of service, so you're kind of getting what you pay for over there.

LANE: This is exactly what worries left-leaning groups. Jon Whiten runs the New Jersey policy perspective and fears that without these deductions, voters will revolt against local taxes, depriving local governments of resources.

JON WHITEN: It would be one thing if they were taking away this deduction⁴ and wrapping up investments that were going to come to state and local governments, but they're taking away this deduction and cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans and for large corporations.

LANE: Under his analysis of the House Republican plan, the country's top 5 percent would net more than 60 percent of the tax cuts. However, another research group, the Tax Foundation, says that cutting the corporate¹³ tax rate will eventually increase GDP growth and boost stock prices and create almost a million new jobs. For NPR News, I'm Charles Lane.

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1 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

2 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

3 deduct   

vt.扣除，减去

参考例句：

• You can deduct the twenty - five cents out of my allowance.你可在我的零用钱里扣去二角五分钱。
• On condition of your signing this contract,I will deduct a percentage.如果你在这份合同上签字，我就会给你减免一个百分比。

4 deduction   

n.减除，扣除，减除额；推论，推理，演绎

参考例句：

• No deduction in pay is made for absence due to illness.因病请假不扣工资。
• His deduction led him to the correct conclusion.他的推断使他得出正确的结论。

5 deductions   

扣除( deduction的名词复数 )； 结论； 扣除的量； 推演

参考例句：

• Many of the older officers trusted agents sightings more than cryptanalysts'deductions. 许多年纪比较大的军官往往相信特务的发现，而不怎么相信密码分析员的推断。
• You know how you rush at things,jump to conclusions without proper deductions. 你知道你处理问题是多么仓促，毫无合适的演绎就仓促下结论。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

8 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

9 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

10 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

11 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

12 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

13 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。