“No tax on tips”. Okay, let the FULL tax debate begin !!!

Photo above - should waitstaff tips be taxed? How about cashiers at Jersey Mike's subs?

I endorse Kamala Harris’s proposal to stop taxing tips (see link below). Tips to waitresses, bartenders, hotel staff, baristas, Jersey Mike’s cashiers, Doordash drivers, Chipotle servers . . . the whole enchilada. What? You didn’t realize the population of tipped workers was this large? Be informed! And it will get bigger if tips become exempt from taxes. Corporations will play games with setting wages for “tipped staff”, and changing the definition of said workers. Will emergency room interns now start accepting tips? Whatever . . . I still favor no tax on tips. Even though this idea pre-dates Candidate Kamala.

Since the miniscule tax revenue from tips has now become Topic A of the Harris campaign, can we expand the conversation to include a complete menu of tax policies? Which Harris and Trump are doing their best to avoid. Here are some other ideas both candidates should be required to “debate” on next month, during their Fox network "who wants to be the president?" game show.

Should social security benefits be exempt from all state and federal income taxes? Many of these folks are just getting by. And besides, they already paid income taxes on that money in the year they first earned it. Social Security withholdings are taxed when earned. Now it's double taxation. On senior citizens, no less.

Should all medical expenses and health insurance premiums be exempt from income tax? Why hit someone with a tax bill just because they got cancer or had a heart attack? How on earth can we require mandatory health coverage, then tax the insurance premiums?

How about the exemption on mortgage interest on “second homes”, beachfront vacation homes, aspen ski condos, and yachts 10 times the size of the Mayflower? Can we start taxing these, or do America’s richest oligarchs have their hooks set into our politicians too deeply?

What is the HIGHEST conceivable (federal) tax rate someone in America should be hit with? 50%? 70%? Let’s pick a number, debate it honestly, and stop screaming “tax the rich” at the top our voices.

What income level is absolutely too low to be taxable? Did you know that some people pay income tax on incomes as low as $11,000? 22% on incomes of $44,000? Let’s not get tied up in “personal exemption" debates at this stage. Let’s just realistically ask what it costs to live in places like New York, New Mexico, and West Virginia. This might be part of the reason people are living in tents.

Good start Kamala. Stop taxing the tips earned by our lowest paid workers. Now let's see how much your compassion and logic extends to the other situations.

~Harris blindsided Democrats with ‘no tax on tips’ plan (msn.com)~