What will the Republican tax bill do for people who make $1 million or more? That’s turned into a contentious issue in recent weeks, as the GOP weighs the political liability that might result from lowering taxes on the super rich.
To his credit, KNUS radio host Dan Caplis, a Trump conservative, put the question to U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) Wednesday.
Asked by Caplis (here at 9:35 here) if he supports cutting taxes “for earners of a $1 million or more per year net taxable income,” Gardner dodged the question, saying he wants “tax relief” and will support any tax measure that will “drive this economy.”
Gardner: Look, I’d like to see tax relief. I’d like to see us do the most powerful thing we can when it comes to policy to drive this economy, and I’m going to make my decisions on what I support based on that lens.”
Gardner said the U.S. Senate “will be putting its own bill forward, and still [the possible tax cut for top earners] is going to be one of those negotiated points.”
Gardner did not say if he’d be involved in the negotiations. He was among a small group of U.S. Senators who drafted health-care bills, all of which were eventually voted down in the chamber.
In refusing to say whether he’d fight to reduce taxes on those making $1 million or more annually, the first-term Republican, who’s now voted with Trump 94 percent of the time, is following a recent pattern of not saying how he’ll vote on major issues until he casts his actual vote.
Gardner voted in favor of all U.S. Senate Obamacare repeal bills this year, after saying he was undecided prior to each vote.
Gardner said he wasn’t sure if the final House bill would lower tax rates for super big earners, and it turns out that the bill, released today, kept the highest rate at 39.6 percent for individuals earning above $500,000 and couples earning over $1 million.
The Senate tax-reform bill is expected to be out as early as next week.
This blog post was updated Friday at 8:30 a.m.
