“Tax reform should help middle-class families, and those striving to reach the middle-class, succeed and prosper.  That means creating jobs and boosting wages – and giving hardworking, middle-class families the tax relief they need to get ahead.”

Our tax system is too complicated and favors the wealthy and corporations over middle-class families. Republicans recently enacted a tax bill that makes matters even worse. The bottom line is if we’re going to require Americans to pay taxes every year, the least our federal government should do is create a system that everyone can understand. As the lead Democrat on the Ways & Means Committee, which handles taxes, you have my commitment that I will always put middle-class families first when reforming our Tax Code. That means focusing on tax relief for working families and a creating a simpler and easy to understand tax system.

Congressman Neal has been a long-time leader on tax legislation providing tax relief to middle-class families, promoting small businesses, and encouraging economic development, including:

• Introduced legislation to provide tax relief to middle-class families, including strengthening the Earned Income Tax Credit by expanding eligibility and expanding the Child Tax Credit to help middle-class families care for young children
   
• Working to provide middle-class families with a well-deserved “raise” through our Tax Code to address years of income stagnation
   
• Focusing on simplifying our tax system to make it as easy as possible for families and small businesses file their taxes each year
   
• Introduced legislation to encourage economic development in our nation’s urban and rural communities, including making permanent the New Markets Tax Credit program and enhancing the Low-income Housing Tax Credit and Historic Tax Credit
   
• Working to encourage innovation by providing tax incentives to start-up companies and small businesses, the engines of growth in our economy