2018: Fitzpatrick Voted For A $100 Billion Tax Bill That Delayed ACA
Taxes, Included Tax Relief For Disaster Victims And Repealed The Johnson
Amendment. In December 2018, Fitzpatrick voted for legislation that
would have, according to Congressional Quarterly, "provide[d] tax
relief to individuals and businesses who have been harmed by certain
natural disasters during 2018 and [...] [made] it easier for small
businesses to offer retirement savings plans for their employees while
also giving individuals greater flexibility to contribute to and use
funds from their retirement accounts. It also allow[ed] churches and
other non-profits to become politically active while maintaining their
tax-exempt status; delay[ed] or repeal[ed] four taxes created by the
2010 health care overhaul to finance that law; [made] certain
modifications and technical corrections to the 2017 tax overhaul; and
modernize[d] the IRS to improve customer service and help prevent
identity theft and tax return fraud." The vote was on a motion to concur
in the Senate amendment with a further House amendment. The House agreed
to the motion, thereby passing the bill, by a vote of 220 to 183. The
bill died in the Senate. [House Vote 470,
12/20/18; Congressional
Quarterly, 12/19/18;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
88]
2017: Fitzpatrick Voted For The House GOP's 2017 Tax Reform Plan Which
Significantly Cut Taxes For The Rich And Corporations And Repealed The
Prohibition For Churches From Engaging In Political Activity. In
November 2017, Fitzpatrick voted for reconciliation legislation which
significantly altered the federal tax code. According to Congressional
Quarterly, "The bill substantially restructures the U.S. tax code to
simplify the code and reduce taxes on individuals, corporations and
small businesses. For individuals, it consolidates the current seven tax
brackets down to four and eliminates or restricts many tax credits and
deductions, including by eliminating the deduction for state and local
income taxes and limiting the deduction for property taxes to $10,000
and the interest deduction for a home mortgage to the first $500,000
worth of a loan. [...] On the business side, it reduces the corporate
tax from 35% to 20% and establishes a 'territorial' tax system that
would exempt most income derived overseas from U.S. corporate taxation.
It allows businesses to immediately expense 100% of the cost of assets
acquired and placed into service, and for small businesses it raises the
Section 179 expensing limit to $5 million for five years. It also
establishes a 25% rate for a portion of pass-through business income
that would otherwise have to be paid at the ordinary individual tax
level, and for small businesses where an individual would receive less
than $150,000 in pass-through income it taxes the first $75,000 of
that income at a 9% rate." The vote was on passage. The House passed the
bill by a vote of 227 to 205. President Trump later signed an amended
version of the bill into law. [House Vote 637,
11/16/17; Congressional
Quarterly, 11/15/17;
Congressional Actions, H.R.
1]