Eliminating the medical deduction a bad idea
Is eliminating the medical deduction a bad idea? Fox News thinks so.
The bar is already high for those claiming the deduction. If those dependent on it lose it, they will have to go on Medicaid once their life savings are exhausted. This wouldn’t be a good outcome for either them or the government.
The mortgage and charitable deductions, on the other hand, which for the moment are being preserved in the Republican tax plan, mainly benefit the well-off and are not a life-or-death matter, as the medical deduction is for those who need it. The mortgage deduction also increases housing prices, putting home purchases out of reach for many wage-earners, especially in the high-cost, high-tax states where new home construction isn’t meeting the demand for affordable housing.
Those presently using the mortgage deduction can fairly complain that their prior housing purchases were based on the expectation that the deduction would not be taken away. For them, the deduction could be gradually phased out over time.
As for the charitable deduction, economic growth and the increased income that accompanies it will provide donors more money to give.
Puerto Rico – Dems play Katrina race card
Democrats are attempting to smear President Trump and his administration as white racists denying aid to Puerto Rico — a tactic they fine-tuned against President George W. Bush after Katrina. The centerpiece of the Democratic Party demagogy has been San Juan’s mayor, a supporter of FALN terrorism. Her narrative has not been supported by another Puerto Rican mayor, as well as the governor of Puerto Rico. She now seems to be backtracking.
Canada’s immigration policy: pluses and minuses
Rental truck that plowed into pedestrians (Michael Mukai / AFP)
Canada is doing a better job than the U.S. in welcoming scientific and engineering talent from abroad, but may be coming up short in keeping jihadists out.
Austrian election Oct. 15th – immigration the major issue
Immigration is the major issue in the upcoming October 15th election in Austria. The “far right” immigration-restrictionist Freedom Party (FPÖ) is expected to edge out the Socialists (SPÖ) for second place.
Niqab (full-face veil)
The expected plurality winner is the People’s Party (ÖVP), whose new leader, Sebastian Kurz, has adopted FPÖ policies, including the banning of the full-face Islamic veil (niqab). He has not excluded breaking with the Socialists and forming instead a conservative coalition between his People’s Party and the Freedom Party.
The rise of the Freedom Party mirrors that of the similarly immigration-restrictionist AfD in Germany as the number two party. But in contrast to the situation in Austria, German Christian Democratic (CDU) Chancellor Angela Merkel has categorically ruled out a coalition with the AfD.
Click here to go to the previous Founders Broadsheet (“Today’s news – 9/30/2017 – Tax filing simplified for millions”)
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