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WASHINGTON, D.C., November 8, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – Ivanka Trump left her father’s whirlwind Asia trip after a few short days, speeding back home to help the Republican-controlled Congress get its long awaited tax reform legislation across the finish line.  

The proposed tax bill contains two crucial tax reform components: Overhauling the tax code so that it becomes family and child-centric, helping and not hurting middle-class families to a far greater degree; and creating tax policy that is pro-life.

Pro-family tax reform

“Tax reform is central to the administration’s plans,” explained presidential spokesperson and adviser Ivanka Trump to Tucker Carlson’s Monday night audience. “It’s critically important that we get it done.” 

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Trump said there is a dual focus. “Providing much-needed tax relief to middle income families”  and “cutting taxes generally so that businesses can be competitive and thrive in a modern economy, in a global (marketplace) where there’s tremendous competition.”

“Our tax plan accomplishes both of those things.”

“I think our tax plan is helpful toward providing middle-income relief so that families can thrive.”

Trump further noted the dominant theme of the administration’s plan is supporting middle-income Americans via “an expansion of the child tax credit (CTC), maintaining the child and ‘dependent care credit’ as part of tax reform, (and) doubling the standard deduction.”   

“Our tax plan takes a big step in terms of helping the American family with the high cost of raising children. The average American family spends almost 30 percent of pre-tax income on the cost of childcare. So the cost of childcare has gone through the roof and families just can’t afford it.”

The GOP idea is not to have government become more involved in providing affordable childcare services but rather to deliver a tax plan that will empower parents to better care for their kids — which means leaving parents with more of the money they’ve earned rather than allowing the government to take it via taxation and reallocating it as it sees fit.  

At a meeting at Americans for Tax Reform in September, Ralph Reed, founder of the Faith and Family Coalition, said he fully supports increasing the CTC because “it empowers the parents and the family rather than Washington and bureaucrats.” 

Pro-life tax reform

At that same ATR meeting in September, the Family Research Council’s Mandi Ancalle made a stunning proposal regarding the CTC: “We would love to see it actually apply to children in utero. I understand that that could come in a variety of different ways, whether or it applies as a double credit in the year of a child’s birth, or actually applying during pregnancy. There are lots of start-up cost of businesses, and there are lots of start up costs for families as well.”

While the U.S. House of Representatives has not taken this suggestion and run with it, the notion has found its way into at least one provision of the current tax reform bill.

“House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) deserves praise for including language in this tax bill that recognizes the personhood of unborn children by allowing expectant parents to contribute to their child’s 529 education savings account in the year prior to birth,” said Jeanne Mancini, president of March for Life. “A child in the womb is just as human as you or I yet, until now, the U.S. tax code has failed to acknowledge the unborn child — all while granting tax breaks for those seeking an abortion under the pretense of ‘healthcare.’ The proposed tax plan is a huge leap forward for an antiquated tax code, and we hope this is the first step in expanding the child tax credit to include unborn children as well.”

Disappointments

Republicans have chosen not to use tax reform as a means of defunding Planned Parenthood, frustrating many constituents.  

The current bill, as it is structured, also eliminates the popular adoption tax credit that has made adoption affordable to many middle-class families over the last 20 years.  

Simplification will have a multifaceted impact

Last week, Congressional leaders met with President Trump at the White House to unveil the broad outline of their tax reform efforts. Americans were treated to video of President Trump examining the proposed, much simplified 5 ½ by 8 ½ tax returns that most American would be using. With a big grin, President Trump then lifted the small card to his lips and kissed it, expressing his approval of the proposal to the delight of the gathered Republican leadership.

Regarding the amount of time Americans must invest in filing their taxes, Pete Sepp of the National Taxpayers Union said, “We’re headed toward nine billion hours. Imagine what families could do with tax reform that is even modestly successful, taking back one, two, or three billion hours of time for their households. Imagine what they could do to raise their children more effectively, what they could do to grow small family businesses.  It’s not just about giving money back into the economy, it’s about giving back time for more productive pursuits.”  

The tax reform now working its way through the U.S. House of Representatives, and which will soon make its way to the Senate, still has hurdles to clear. It allows typical Americans to save both time and money — time and money currently going to the  government under penalty of law, may soon be freed up to invest in their families.