Republicans in Washington are one step closer to overhauling taxes. Thursday, the House passed the Tax Cut and Jobs Act, which includes cutting a $250 deduction for teachers who use their own money to buy items for their students.
The Texas State Teachers Association, which represents more than 60,000 school employees across the state, took a survey and found that teachers spend an average $656 per year out of pocket on school supplies.
The President of Alliance American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Rena Honea, said a retired teacher recently told her she spent up to $2,000 a year on various classroom needs.
Honea worked as a teacher for 26 years and has been the president of Alliance AFT in Dallas for eight years. She said the proposed tax cut to teachers’ deductions is about a lot more than the $250.
"It's very demoralizing and it makes our educators feel so unappreciated and devalued. It's like, ‘we need you to do more and more, but we're not going to recognize you for that.’"
The Texas AFT Union is asking teachers and parents to write letters and make calls to their legislators asking them to vote against the Tax Cut and Jobs Act.
Congresswoman Kay Granger, a former teacher and daughter of an educator, issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act:
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“Our current tax code is too long, too complicated and is a drag on the economy. With the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, we have a historic opportunity to simplify the tax code and lower the overall tax rate for both individuals and businesses, creating new jobs and new opportunities for Texans.
“Right now, businesses are suffering under some of the highest taxes in the world, forcing them to move jobs overseas to be able to stay in business. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduces tax rates so that businesses will stay in the U.S. and encourages those that have moved to come back. This will increase jobs, while reforms like increasing the standard deduction and removing special interest loopholes will make the tax filing process easier and simpler for all Texans.
“By doubling the standard deduction for individuals and families, and lowering the overall tax rate, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will result in more money in the pockets of average Texans, more than making up for the elimination of any one particular deduction. In fact, the Tax Foundation estimates that the House Republican tax plan will create 81,108 jobs for Texans and increase the median Texan household income by $2,558. The bill passed by the House today will cut taxes, create jobs, energize the economy, and result in more money in the average worker’s paycheck.”
