# The 2017/2018 Trump/GOP tax plan **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 27, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442 "2017-09-27T17:47:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 41
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/801 "2017-12-14T20:31:26Z")
And they got rid of the idea of taxing graduate student tuition grants as income. That’s an important change! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/802 "2017-12-14T20:43:12Z")
I just came in to post about that as well, **John**. [AP story](https://apnews.com/43a4544a9ec04572910e1e0236a84fd5/Republican-tax-bill-drops-controversial-loan-provisions). > [@](#): > > The updated version leaves in place the deduction for interest on student loans, according to two congressional aides. The bill would no longer start taxing graduate-school tuition waivers. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/803 "2017-12-14T20:54:56Z")
Other than the top rate dropping to 37%, it sounds like the changes coming out of the conference committee ought to make Democrats happy (or, perhaps more precisely, happier than the original version that passed the Senate). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/804 "2017-12-14T21:04:10Z")
It still sabotages the financial basis of the Affordable Care Act. The people have made it pretty clear they _don’t_ want it repealed, but this bill sneaks it in and essentially does just that. There’s also the trillion or so dollars added to the national debt. Happy is the wrong word. Why should most people be happy with this claptrap? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/805 "2017-12-14T21:09:31Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Other than the top rate dropping to 37%, it sounds like the changes coming out of the conference committee ought to make Democrats happy (or, perhaps more precisely, happier than the original version that passed the Senate). To how many significant digits are you measuring happiness? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/806 "2017-12-14T21:12:22Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > … Why should most people be happy with this claptrap? I’m generally happy with it because my taxes are going to go down. That would be, I imagine, the primary motivation for most people to feel happy about it. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/807 "2017-12-14T21:14:02Z")
Are you most people? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/808 "2017-12-14T21:14:23Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > To how many significant digits are you measuring happiness? I’m not. I said “ought to”. I have no actual expectation that it’ll receive a single D vote, or that any non-conservative Doper will express even begrudging approval / acceptance. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/809 "2017-12-14T21:15:46Z")
I won’t likely suffer much at all, other people will, and I give a fuck. If that adds up to “happy”, well, OK. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/810 "2017-12-14T21:17:56Z")
Rubio balks. [Rubio to vote against GOP tax bill unless tax credit for working poor is expanded](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/rubio-to-vote-against-gop-tax-bill-unless-tax-credit-for-working-poor-is-expanded/2017/12/14/8be53a22-e0f9-11e7-89e8-edec16379010_story.html?utm_term=.da98ed37535c) ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/811 "2017-12-14T21:22:44Z")
Gasp! He’s actually read my e-mails asking him to consider his place in history! Or maybe not, but it’s a nice thought. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/812 "2017-12-14T21:24:01Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I won’t likely suffer much at all, other people will, and I give a fuck. If that adds up to “happy”, well, OK. I’m genuinely confused by this. Who are you thinking of that will suffer and that you give a fuck about? Other than me, of course. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/813 "2017-12-14T21:25:27Z")
[It’s been in the news](http://thehill.com/policy/finance/domestic-taxes/361913-cbo-senate-tax-bill-would-hurt-poor), **John**. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/814 "2017-12-14T21:29:37Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I won’t likely suffer much at all, other people will, and I give a fuck. If that adds up to “happy”, well, OK. I might suffer a little, but I don’t mind that if the money were actually going to pay for things I care about. Instead, we’re looking at cuts to Medicare starting in 2018, a plan from the Ryan wing to make much bigger cuts because of the hole in the budget they are causing, and higher premiums for people trying to afford health care coverage, which is likely to disproportionately affect people over 50 who are not yet Medicare eligible–resulting in many losing coverage/skipping care, resulting in higher costs for Medicare when they are eligible. What a great idea. What could go wrong? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/815 "2017-12-14T21:36:26Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > [It’s been in the news](http://thehill.com/policy/finance/domestic-taxes/361913-cbo-senate-tax-bill-would-hurt-poor), **John**. OK. Thanks. I can’t say I’m fully convinced that those predictions about health care will play out as they say, but I can see that reasonable people could disagree about that, so I wouldn’t discount someone else accepting those predictions. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/816 "2017-12-14T21:43:44Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > OK. Thanks. I can’t say I’m fully convinced that those predictions about health care will play out as they say, but I can see that reasonable people could disagree about that, so I wouldn’t discount someone else accepting those predictions. Which predictions? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/817 "2017-12-14T21:50:15Z")
> [@wonky](#): > > Which predictions? Concerning healthcare. Whether people will drop out when they really don’t want to and how the subsidies will be affected. You have to go to the WaPo story linked to in **Elvis’** cite as that cite only makes an assertion about folks making under $30K being affected, but it doesn’t say why. Making such assumptions about people’s behavior is tricky, plus it’s predicated on getting rid of the Individual Mandate, which I was never in favor of. But, I’m sure most of the poster here are in favor of it. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/818 "2017-12-14T21:58:50Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Concerning healthcare. Whether people will drop out when they really don’t want to and how the subsidies will be affected. You have to go to the WaPo story linked to in **Elvis’** cite as that cite only makes an assertion about folks making under $30K being affected, but it doesn’t say why. Making such assumptions about people’s behavior is tricky, plus it’s predicated on getting rid of the Individual Mandate, which I was never in favor of. There’s a ton about the bill that concerns health care. Getting rid of the mandate is just a part of that. I can’t really dispute the rest of what you say, since you’re just apparently basing it on a feeling. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/819 "2017-12-14T22:06:24Z")
> [@wonky](#): > > There’s a ton about the bill that concerns health care. Getting rid of the mandate is just a part of that. … What are the other parts of it? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442/820 "2017-12-14T22:08:55Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > I’m generally happy with it because my taxes are going to go down. That would be, I imagine, the primary motivation for most people to feel happy about it. Not sure if you have addressed this – does the bill’s impact on the deficit and debt concern you at all? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442.md?page=40) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2017-2018-trump-gop-tax-plan/797442.md?page=42)