GUEST POST: It's Time for a Tax Code That Works for Everyone
End the billionaire tax scam.
GUEST POST: My colleague Anna Aurilio penned the op-ed below. She’s a long-time environmental advocate. She’s currently Senior Campaigns Director at Economic Security Project Action. She has testified in Congress numerous times and has been named a top grassroots lobbyist by The Hill for the past 9 years. Anna is on the board of directors of the National Environmental Law Center, and we serve together on the board of Voices for Progress, one of the largest networks in the country dedicated to a healthy climate, strengthening our democracy, and economic and social justice. (The legendary Sandra Fluke leads Voices for Progress.)
In 2022, I sat in a meeting with a U.S. Senator where a mom shared how the expanded Child Tax Credit helped her afford her kids’ favorite fruits — blueberries and bananas. Another parent explained how the extra money allowed her to say yes to after-school sports and buy new soccer cleats. That’s the power of fair tax policy: putting real money back into the pockets of everyday families. Unfortunately that expansion expired and Congress is moving in the opposite direction on tax policy.
As this Billionaire Tax Scam moves through Congress, I’m terrified for the families that are struggling to make ends meet amid rising costs. Rather than seize this moment to fix the tax code — and put money back in working families’ pockets — Republicans in Congress are doubling down on the very policies that already leave too many behind and adding even more cruelty into our tax code. In fact, the bill passed by the House on May 18 leaves wealthy people much better off but increases costs for 40% of Americans – those making less than $51K. By expanding tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations, they are only digging us deeper into this current economic crisis.
I advocate to build economic power for all Americans. In the richest country in the world, no one should live in poverty and no one should go hungry. For the past several years, I've been on Capitol Hill pushing for economic policies that actually work for people — not just the ultra-wealthy or top 1%. I’ve organized meetings between families and lawmakers where parents have shared how expanded tax credits – like the temporary 2021 Child Tax Credit expansion – gave them breathing room they hadn’t had in years. Most families spent the money on basic needs, including food, rent, and utilities. And it wasn’t just anecdotal — the data backs this up. Now, Republicans are pushing changes to the CTC that would push 2 millions kids into, or deeper into, poverty. And they’re creating new hurdles for families claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit – essentially an audit for millions of families.
The current state of the economy didn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of decades of deliberate policymaking that has favored the ultrarich and left the rest of us behind. The 2017 Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) supercharged this crisis, making an already unequal tax code far worse by giving billionaires and big corporations huge tax breaks at the direct expense of working Americans.
The TCJA slashed the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and promised renewed investment in American business, manufacturing, production, and jobs — components that would make our economy more resilient and families more secure. What happened instead? Corporations used that windfall to fund record stock buybacks, enriching executives and shareholders while leaving workers behind. Since then, corporate tax revenue has dropped to historic lows, depriving our country of resources needed for health care, education, and infrastructure. Meanwhile, the number of U.S. billionaires increased, and their wealth ballooned by $3.1 trillion.
As the economic crisis worsens, America’s wealthiest billionaires are paying an average federal income tax rate of just 8.2% — much lower than the 13.3% rate paid by average Americans. And thanks to loopholes like the stepped-up basis rule and capital gains tax preferences, these fortunes can be passed down from generation to generation virtually tax-free. Trickle-down economics didn’t work in the 1980s or the early 2000s — and it won’t work now. We know this. We’ve lived it, and Americans continue to struggle from its long-term effects. And, in 2025, Republicans are still advocating for the very same policies that leave most Americans worse off.
Lawmakers who claim to care about families must demonstrate their commitment by delivering for those struggling with the rising cost of living. This means enhancing and expanding the Child Tax and Earned Income Tax Credits, increasing access to affordable childcare, investing in public education and housing, and closing tax loopholes that allow the rich and powerful to avoid paying their fair share. To truly support everyday families, they must also vote “no” to renewing more Trump-era tax cuts for the rich.
The majority of Americans believe the current tax structure is flawed and that a fair tax system should raise taxes on the wealthy and large corporations — not reward wealth hoarding. A fair tax code should raise the revenue needed to build a society that works for us all, not just the wealthiest few. It should definitely not cut funding for public services that provide critical necessities that help keep people alive.
As a historic number of Americans express public support for taxing the rich, lawmakers have a responsibility to act in that interest. In March, over 300 wealthy Americans spoke out, urging Congress to reject more tax breaks for the rich. Many of those who signed are members of Voices for Progress, an organization that fights for fair tax policy — and of which I’m a board member. These individuals — many who have personally benefited from past cuts — are calling for lawmakers to prioritize investments in working families and public services over giveaways to the wealthy. They understand that sustainable economic growth requires shared responsibility, not more handouts to those who need them the least.
As the House sends this massive Billionaire Tax Scam to the Senate, Democrats have a critical opportunity to stand united and reject another round of reckless tax cuts for the rich on the backs of working families. The 2025 tax fight is our chance to take a stand against the disastrous tax policies of the past and build a system that supports working people, strengthens our economy, and invests in the future we deserve. Advocates for fair tax policy know that this is the time for change, and it's time for lawmakers to listen and deliver for everyone struggling with the rising cost of living.
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I totally agree with the author. The Earned Income Tax Credit is already complicated and claiming it increases the taxpayer's chances of a tax audit. For some reason, Republicans are convinced that low-income people are all cheats (you can thank Reagan and his "welfare queen comment) while all evidence clearly shows that it's the wealthy and corporations that cheat on their taxes. This is also why Republicans want to reduce funding of the IRS because it's been auditing and catching these tax cheats. They want to kill the free, easy to use Direct File software program developed by the IRS. Republicans have learned to cheat by not directly repealing things that benefit low-income people and instead make claiming these benefits so difficult that people simply stop trying. We need to always call out Republican lies.
Brava, Anna. Thank you for your tireless efforts on behalf of families and kids.