Other California Republicans Continue to Duck Questions About State and Local Tax Deductions
IRVINE, CA – Today, in a spectacular 18 minute television interview on KUSI in San Diego, Duncan Hunter revealed the truth about the Republican tax plan that eliminates the State and Local Tax (SALT) Deduction – a deduction claimed by 1 in 3 Californians, saving California taxpayers an average of $5,807 annually and a total of $101 billion in taxes in 2014 alone.
Here’s the exchange, at 3:52 of the interview:
Host: So what is not [included] is the state income tax, which is gonna affect us?
Congressman Hunter: To deduct your state and local taxes is not in there right now.
Host: So how come… we’re gonna get hosed here in California!
Hunter: In California, Jersey, New York, and other states that have horrible governments, yes. It’s not as good for those states.
Host: And as our representative you can’t help us out on that one?
Hunter: No, not really in this case, why punish the rest of the nation because California is stupid? It’s a tough vote, for me, but I’m not gonna keep the economy down for the whole country because California has a bad government.
*Silence*
Host: But… you’re represented by the people in California, that’s your constituency!
Earlier this week, the Sacramento Bee reported that California House Republicans were ‘actively avoiding’ the issue:
“Not only have they not been part of the public pushback on ending SALT, they seem to be actively avoiding discussing the issue, altogether. McClatchy has reached out to more than half of the delegation in recent days to discuss their position on tax reform and whether they are involved in the ongoing negotiations over SALT in the House. Only Bakersfield-area Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House majority leader, responded. His spokeswoman, Erin Perrine, confirmed he’s involved in the discussions as a member of the House GOP leadership. And Perrine provided a statement from McClatchy in support of eliminating the deduction.”
DCCC Spokesperson Drew Godinich released the following statement:
“Congressman Hunter’s honesty on the Republican tax plan and its elimination of the SALT deduction, which would cost Californians billions of dollars to give a tax break to millionaires and billionaires, is shocking. We finally have confirmation from the Republicans on what we’ve suspected all along – that this plan ‘punishes California’ in order to cut taxes for corporations and the wealthiest. Every California Republican must come clean and explain why they won’t stand up for their constituents’ pocketbooks.”