Ninety percent of American taxpayers effectively got a pay increase through Republican tax cuts, meaning Democrats "were lying" when they said only the top 1 percent would benefit, Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist said Wednesday.
"Within a month, the IRS came out with the numbers on what percentage of American taxpayers actually would get a pay increase, because a tax cut is a pay increase," Norquist told Fox News' "Fox and Friends."
"When the government takes less of your money, you get more take home pay. Ninety percent of Americans pay lower taxes today because of the Republican tax cut ... that's not a math problem," Norquist said. The Democrats were lying. They weren't off by a little bit."
However, there are polls suggesting that many Americans don't know they're keeping more money, said Norquist, and he thinks that's because many people have direct deposit and never look at their paychecks.
"It pays to go take a look at your bank account," said Norquist.
"We saw in May an increase in consumer spending. We think the economists think because people looked at their bank account and said, 'I have more money than I thought I did,' and they have made different decisions," Norquist said.
"People are noticing the higher pay but it took longer than you would expect because of direct deposit."
Congress is taking up legislation for the second phase of tax cuts, which will make them permanent.
"The 2.0 does a couple things," said Norquist. "It reminds the American people that the Republicans in the House, the Senate, President [Donald] Trump have all made clear - we are going to have a tax cut every year. A tax cut every year. Not tax reform and then 30 years from now another tax reform. Every single year it will be culling down the tax burden on the American people."
Norquist, though, said Democrats will likely filibuster in the Senate, so the new tax legislation may not pass this year. However, the matter puts taxes front and center in the midterm elections, he said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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