LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The New York Times reported on Sunday that President Donald Trump paid a mere $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017. The revelations are a reminder of how the nation's tax system benefits the wealthy at the expense of middle-class and lower-income households.

University of Kentucky Law Professor Jennifer Bird-Pollan said most Americans earn salary income from an employer, and these dollars are taxed at higher rates than income earned by investments or through business partnerships. But, she added, the $750 figure reportedly paid by the president still doesn't quite make sense.

"Now, what's extra strange is this $750 number. The fact that it's this nice, round number, and the fact that it's the same number for two years in a row, I think has a lot of people hypothesizing that this is just a number they made up, so that when asked if he paid any income taxes he'd be able to say yes," Bird-Pollen said.

The president has denounced the reporting on his finances and accused the investigation of being fake news. One study by the Economic Policy Institute found the federal tax system led to a more than 30% increase in U.S. income inequality between 1979 and 2007.

Bird-Pollan pointed out the tax code also allows for a slew of deductions and other loopholes that reduces the amount of income corporations are required to pay taxes on. As a result, some of the nation's largest corporations such as Amazon and Netflix paid zero income taxes in recent years, despite earning hundreds of millions of dollars in profits.

She added the significant changes made to the U.S. tax code in 2017 expanded such perks for corporate America.

"Most of the benefit from the 2017 tax law went to corporations in particular, who saw a pretty dramatic cut in their statutory tax rate, it went from 35% to 21%," she said. "They were able to take additional amounts of deductions; in particular, depreciation and expensing deductions, in a way that they weren't before that tax law."

Bird-Pollan said the tax system will contribute to worsening inequality driven by the coronavirus pandemic.

"People aren't going to get their tax refunds until next year. If you can't make your rent payments right now, waiting until March or April to get a tax refund is not going to help you," she said.

She said to help people get back on their feet, tax deductions don't help as much as direct payments such as the $1,200 stimulus check Americans received earlier this year, or student loan forgiveness, which Bird-Pollan said are more effective measures during times of crisis.


get more stories like this via email

Washington joins a handful of states to do away with mandatory meetings for employees on political or religious matters.

Sometimes known as captive audience meetings, the gatherings were seen as a way for employers to give their opinions on subjects like unionization, and held potential consequences for employees who didn't attend. Lawmakers passed a bill this session allowing workers to skip the meetings without repercussions.

Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, a sponsor of the bill, said we live in a divided society where emotions run high on political topics.

"This bill simply protects employees to have a real choice on whether or not to attend a meeting called by their boss to be told about some political or religious issue," Keiser explained.

Keiser pointed out the legislation is nonpartisan. For instance, employers could not force employees to attend anti-union meetings, but also could not force them to attend a meeting about the importance of reproductive rights. The bill takes effect June 6.

Keiser noted the bill likely got across the finish line this session because of the uptick in union organizing and support for labor. She added there are widely known stories of Starbucks managers, for example, requiring employees to attend anti-union meetings while the employees organized the workplace.

"Employees have been forced to attend meetings to listen to the boss or the employer basically tell them why they shouldn't join a union," Keiser observed.

Washington is the sixth state to pass a law prohibiting attendance at captive audience meetings. Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota and New York have passed similar laws in recent years. Oregon passed a law allowing workers to skip such meetings without repercussions in 2010.


get more stories like this via email

A bill vetoed by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin would have raised the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour starting in 2026.

While the bill moved out of committee and the General Assembly, it did so on party-line votes. Youngkin opposed the bill, saying it could hurt small businesses and some restaurants.

Jay Speer, executive director of the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said it was disappointing to see the measure vetoed.

"Wages are way too low. People cannot afford housing and food and everything else," Speer pointed out. "It's a disappointment that they can't raise the minimum wage so people can survive. I mean, it's long overdue."

Passing the bill was part of a 2020 minimum-wage increase requiring a reauthorization to bring it up to $15. A state study found a person has to make at least $14.55 an hour to afford the cheapest place to live while only spending one-third of his or her income on housing. The current minimum wage in Virginia is $12 an hour, but around 500,000 Virginians make $12 or less.

Youngkin also vetoed a bill ending exemptions from Virginia's minimum-wage requirements for farmworkers or temporary foreign workers.

Kim Bobo, executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center on Public Policy, said it was not as impactful since most farmworkers make more than the minimum wage. But she said the exemption remains for another reason.

"The only reason farmworkers continue to be exempted in Virginia is racism," Bobo contended. "That's why they're exempted. And, we should just change that, like there's no reason not to. It really does not affect that many workers in Virginia."

Youngkin and other legislators with a farming background said the bill would hinder farmers' ability to turn a profit.

New York restaurant workers need to know their rights to better navigate their workplaces. A new report finds high rates of what it calls "occupational segregation" in the restaurant industry, which can relegate some people to lower-paying jobs.

Workers' rights organizations are counteracting this with training programs. Alima Iskakova, a server for Exquisite Staffing, a catering company, said the CHOW training from Restaurant Opportunities Centers United is helping her.

"Since I completed this training course, I am more confident when it comes to job interviews," she said. "I am more confident - like, when it comes to these types of interviews, plus with all my experience and the knowledge that I got from ROC United, I have a higher income."

She was also trained in safe food handling, OSHA certification and other need-to-know information about the restaurant industry. These courses are available in several cities beyond New York.

The report also notes that, unlike training offered by organizations such as the National Restaurant Association, these courses prioritize developing restaurant workers' power to support individual career development.

The report says racism and sexism abound in the restaurant industry. White men make up a majority of higher-earning positions, such as bartenders.

Although these training courses are helpful, Iskakova noteed that not knowing English can be a disadvantage. She said other cultural differences can make this work challenging.

"In the hospitality industry, even like when people come here as an immigrant, they don't know the rules, they don't know the laws," she said. "And ROC United, they help us to do the cover letter, resume. There are certain things - like, there is a difference."

Another challenge she encountered was the difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit.

Iskakova said her work has been interesting, but she's got ambitions outside of food service. Along with photography, she's a communications major at CUNY.


get more stories like this via email