Tax Reform

Like many Washingtonians, I believe our tax code is overly complex and confusing. The U.S. tax code is long overdue for comprehensive reform, and I am committed to working in a bipartisan manner to bring our nation’s tax policies into the 21st century.  

Comprehensive tax reform is about fairness for all Americans, and is necessary to give American families and businesses the ability to plan for the future. Tax policy should support growing the middle class and creating sustained, long-term growth. We also need to give businesses certainty and clarity so they invest resources here, encouraging job creation and innovation.

Our current tax system undermines competitiveness and is out of date with the way the world works today.  Congress should work to simplify our tax code by eliminating inefficient and unfair tax breaks and subsidies that don’t make sense in today’s economy. Any time our federal government offers a tax break or subsidy, we should consider it as a budgetary expenditure. I believe that we must evaluate these expenditures regularly and eliminate those that are no longer giving us an adequate return.

That’s why I have cosponsored bills that provide tax relief for the middle class such as the Child Tax Credit Permanency Act, which helps families with the cost of raising children, and the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which provides families assistance with the rising cost of college. I’ve also cosponsored legislation to expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) to help working families with the cost of child care. Earlier this year, I introduced the Small Business Tax Credit Accessibility Act to help small businesses afford the cost of health coverage for their workers.

I’ve also strongly supported legislation to make the state and local sales tax deduction permanent, which would enable Washingtonians to continue deducting state sales tax on their federal tax returns. A recent report by Pew Charitable Trusts found that Washington was the state that used the deduction most, saving Washington taxpayers an average of $604 each. This legislation would provide tax-relief for residents in states like Washington with a higher sales tax and no income tax.

We need a bipartisan solution that simplifies our tax code by helping millions of hardworking individuals and families and ends special interest tax breaks that haven’t given us a strong return on investment. I will continue working with both sides of the aisle to achieve this goal.