MJ’s Record on the Economy
Hegar Has Vowed To “Walk Back” The GOP Tax Reform, Criticizing It As A “Scam”
Hegar In 2020: “We’ve Got To Walk Back The Tax Reform – The Tax Scam. It Was Not A Middle-Class Miracle.” HEGAR: “You know, we’ve got to walk back the tax reform – the tax scam. It was not a middle-class miracle. I am fighting for the middle class. I believe we’re leaving the lower middle class completely out. We have programs that help people in poverty. The upper middle class is doing okay. We’re leaving out this group of people.” (MJ Hegar, Remarks At A Campaign Event, San Antonio, TX, 2/19/20; 15:40-16:05)
In Texas, The Tax Foundation Found That The Tax Cuts & Jobs Act Delivered An Average Tax Cut Of $1,324.56 In 2018. (“The Impact Of The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act By Congressional District,” Tax Foundation, 2018)
- The Tax Foundation Also Found That Texas Added 18,128 Jobs In 2018. (“The Impact Of The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act By Congressional District,” Tax Foundation, 2018)
A 2019 Analysis From The Federal Reserve Bank Of Dallas Found That Texas “Was One Of The Top 10 States In Terms Of The Size Of The Average Tax Cut Relative To State-Level Income.” “The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA), signed into law on Dec. 22, 2017, extensively cut individual income and corporate taxes and is widely believed to have contributed to stronger economic activity nationally in 2018. However, relatively little is known about the act’s impact on economic activity at the state level and, more specifically in Texas. Calculations using a tax simulation model indicate that the size of tax breaks varied widely among states. Texas, realizing a tax cut of almost $1,400 per tax-filing household in 2018, was one of the top 10 states in terms of the size of the average tax cut relative to state-level income. Elsewhere in the U.S., tax cuts relative to 2017 averaged about $1,000 per household.” (Anil Kumar, “Texas Sees Job, Output Gains From 2018 U.S. Tax Cut,” Federal Reserve Bank Of Dallas, 2019)
Hegar Has Vowed To Increase Taxes To Pay For Her Medicare Expansion Plan
In December 2019, Hegar Said She Would Pay For Expanding Medicare By Raising Taxes. SMITH: “So the public option for anybody who wants it would mean, practically speaking, what?” HEGAR: “Practically speaking it means every kid is on Medicare immediately in Texas at least. But I mean, obviously, we’re talking about federal legislation.” SMITH: “Can you pay for this? This is a question that I know is fashionable for people like me to ask people like you, where are you going to pay gonna pay for this?” HEGAR: “So, there’s a lot of ways that we’re going to pay for it. First of all, I think that, you know, we keep increasing the deficit every time we grant tax breaks to the top, not even 1%, 0.1%.” SMITH: “So you’re gonna get you’re gonna get rid of those tax breaks that were in the Trump tax bill?” HEGAR: “We need to restructure the tax code. We do need to lower the tax burden on the middle class, especially the middle and lower middle class.” SMITH: “Are you going to raise taxes on people above a certain income level?” HEGAR: “I think taxes will go up on people above a certain income level.” (Texas Tribune Interview, 12/11/19, 32:56)
When Asked Again Whether She Would Vote To Raise Taxes, Hegar Said She Would “Insist People Pay Their Fair Share.” SMITH: “Ms. Hegar, you artfully switched to the passive voice and I’m not going to allow it. ‘Taxes will go up’ is not the same as ‘I will raise taxes.’ Will you – you – vote to raise taxes on people above a certain income?” HEGAR: “I will insist people pay their fair share.” (Texas Tribune Interview, 12/11/19, 33:)
Hegar: “The People Who Are Not Paying Their Fair Share? I Will Raise Taxes On Them.” (Texas Tribune Interview, 12/11/19, 34:23)
