We have one year to save our tax system from getting worse for 88% of Georgia taxpayers.
On Dec. 31, 2025, the tax cuts signed into law by then-President Donald Trump as part of the landmark Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 will expire, causing tax burdens to rise for most Americans.
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
Passage of this bill was one of the proudest votes I took as a member of Congress. For the first time in more than 30 years, we were able to provide relief for individuals and enable our job creators to invest more into middle-class and working-class families. This bill leveled the playing field for all Americans, allowing people to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks. Among the provisions was an increase in the standard tax deduction, an expanded child tax credit, a cut to small businesses’ tax burden and lower rates for low- and middle-income Americans.
The impact on our economy has been undeniably positive. From 2018 to 2019, real wages rose 4.9%, the fastest growth in 20 years. During this time, we had the lowest poverty rates in history. Unemployment rates for African Americans, Hispanic workers and those without a college degree fell to historic lows. On top of that, Trump’s economy produced 5 million jobs, affording more people the opportunity to earn a living here in America. It benefited those at the bottom most, too: The bottom 10% of earners saw a 50% higher wage growth than those in the top 10% as a result of these policies.
The contrast between Trump’s roaring economy and President Joe Biden’s whimpering one is stark.
Every single day in my office, we receive calls from families telling us they cannot afford their basic living expenses. To use one constituent’s words, “I can’t afford (gas) to go to work, but I can’t afford not to go to work.” Forget a rock and a hard place; this is the intersection of Bidenomics and Bidenflation.
It’s no surprise that 40% of Americans say inflation is impacting their holiday season. Nothing says “Christmas spirit” like penny pinching so Uncle Sam can continue to spend like a drunken elf.
If Biden’s economy is this bad with Trump’s tax cuts still in place, imagine how much worse it would be if that lifeline were stripped away.
There is no good time for your tax rate to go up, but with our current cost-of-living crisis, this burden will result in many parents forgoing gas and groceries to line the federal government’s wallet.
That might sound extreme, but it’s reality. A family of four making Georgia’s median income — $74,632 a year — will see a $1,515 tax increase, which is the equivalent of eight weeks of groceries.
If I have a choice between providing my constituents with the means to eat and providing the government with the means to spend, I’m picking my constituents every single time. All members of Congress — Republican, Democratic or independent — who claim to represent their district’s best interests should do the same.
Trump was reelected with a mandate to undo the harm caused by the most radically, dangerously liberal administration in history. The people want economic prosperity, and that is why we sent Trump back to the White House.
The first step in restoring economic prosperity is ensuring that the progress we have made is not undone thanks to partisan politics.
I am calling on Congress to prioritize protecting Trump’s tax cuts as part of our 2025 agenda so that all families can keep the money they earned and continue putting food on the table.
Buddy Carter, a Republican, represents coastal Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives.
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