From: Anthony Stephens via announce [mailto:announce@xxxxxxxxxxxx] ;
Sent: Tuesday, November 14, 2017 4:33 PM
To: announce@xxxxxxxxxxxx; leadership@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Cc: Anthony Stephens <astephens@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [announce] Action Alert: Tax Reform Increases Burden on Americans who
are blind
As Congress continues to work on overhauling the American tax code, ACB urges
citizens to engage their elected officials in Washington, calling on them to
not advance any measure that would endanger Americans with disabilities.
The current House of Representatives and Senate plans on the table will
comprise the largest tax reform in over 30 years, significantly altering the
way the federal government takes in revenue. Proponents argue that significant
corporate tax cuts will stimulate the economy, while opponents argue that such
huge cuts will drive up the deficit and individuals will be negatively impacted
with the loss of key deductions. Amidst this debate are the real concerns of
Americans with disabilities, who will experience the loss of key provisions
that have aided in increasing independence and lowering their tax burden.
Of greatest concern for Americans who are blind is the current proposal slated
for vote this week in the House of Representatives, which aims to repeal both
the increased standard deduction for individuals who are blind and the medical
expenses deduction. These two deductions take into consideration the additional
costs that are often the result of trying to live independently as a person who
is blind. Therefore, it is important for Congress not to create barriers to
independence in our tax code, nor should they be burdened even more when
medical expenses exceed the threshold set by the IRS that allows for costly
healthcare and expenses such as assistive technology or guide dog expenses to
be deducted from their earned income. These deductions can significantly reduce
the amount taxed by the IRS.
For most Americans, tax policy is a complex process. While messaging around the
current tax reform proposals calls for a need to simplify this process, it must
recognize that there are millions of Americans with unique medical needs and
conditions such as blindness. It is often through the culmination of
deductions, exemptions, and credits that many of these individuals are able to
break even, not allowing for their disability to push them further into debt
and poverty.
For this reason, ACB encourages individuals who have utilized these tax
provisions to reach out to their local congressional offices, informing them
that there are real individuals who will be negatively impacted by this tax
reform.
The Senate is not expected to vote on its proposal until after the Thanksgiving
recess. Constituents are encouraged to also reach out to their senators. Let
your Senators and Representatives know that the burden will be much heavier for
individuals with disabilities under these proposals, which will significantly
increase our national debt over the next decade. This would force Congress to
cut vital programs and services to meet the shortfall in revenue.
You can reach your member of Congress by calling the U.S. Capitol switchboard
at (202) 224-3121. They can connect you with the appropriate congressional
office. Below are some helpful resources on the current tax proposals and key
items slated for repeal.
TurboTax has helpful information on the current deductions individuals who are
blind can utilize, which are slated for repeal: in the House bill under
consideration:
https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/disability/tax-tips-for-the-blind/L80haiutG
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The Daily Beast, an independent news site, has a post on the impact the current
House proposal will have on people with disabilities:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-gops-tax-bill-is-a-war-on-disabled-people ;
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Please email advocacy@xxxxxxx <mailto:advocacy@xxxxxxx> with questions or
feedback you receive after calling your member of Congress. Thank you for your
ongoing advocacy.
Sincerely,
Anthony Stephens
Director of Advocacy & Governmental Affairs
American Council of the Blind
1703 N. Beauregard Street, STE 420
Alexandria, VA 22311
(T) 202.467.5081
(F) 703.465.5085
€ astephens@xxxxxxx <mailto:astephens@xxxxxxx>
Learn more at www.acb.org
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