Posted on 06/04/2025 7:36:15 AM PDT by Red Badger
The senator is pushing for a different approach that would treat people with similar earnings more equally.
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Sen. Thom Tillis indicated Tuesday that he wants significant changes to Republicans’ plans to cut taxes on tips, one of President Donald Trump’s top priorities in the megabill now before lawmakers.
The House-approved draft of the tip proposal is unfair to people who work in industries where tipping isn’t customary, the North Carolina Republican told POLITICO. He complained that a waiter would qualify for the break but a warehouse worker would not, even if they had similar incomes.
Tillis, a tax writer, said he wants a different approach that would treat people with similar earnings more equally.
He also raised the possibility of dropping the $40 billion tip proposal from the legislation altogether, noting the idea has bipartisan support and expressing doubt that Democrats would stop Republicans from passing it separately later.
“Maybe there’s a different way to achieve what they’re setting out to do,” he said.
Tillis’ comments come as Senate Republican leaders say they intend to make changes to the sprawling tax, energy and immigration package approved last month by the House and still get it to Trump’s desk by their July 4 recess. That could be difficult if individual senators, who have lots of leverage given Republicans’ thin majority in the chamber, demand major changes.
Trump campaigned on making tips tax-free, and the House draft would create a new tip deduction for people in industries where tipping is customary so long as they don’t make more than $160,000.
One alternative, Tillis said, would be to create “some other benefit” available to a wider swathe of workers but, to keep the budgetary cost down, limit it to people with lower incomes.
Tillis also said he doubted Democrats would oppose the plan if Republicans tried to move it separately later, noting the chamber late last month unanimously approved a different bill by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to nix taxes on tips.
“I’m at a loss for what Democrats would vote against it,” said Tillis. “They’ve already evidenced that they’re worried about voting ‘no’.”
To include bribes?
He has no clue.
Mr. Tillis is sounding more like a liberal lefty and the DEI supporter of the Republicans.
It’s pretty simple Thom. If I give $5 to a waitress, it’s a gift. A Thank You for a job well done. It’s none of your business.
How about no tax on wages?
It can include tips too.
Taxation is theft
$160K ceiling?? That covers about all but the top 7 or 8% or all wage-earners [that said, I’m still in the camp of believing that increasing the income of Americans will bolster both economic activity and tax revenues].
On a related topic, I’d be curious how much such a change would actually make to the tax revenue overall (i.e., how much tip-cheating is already going on... 50%? 70%).
He’s an idiot. Working for Tips doesn’t give someone an unfair advantage. Anyone who doesn’t support giving more back and taking the tax man off the back of the people. Tillis has never impressed me. He’s a politician first.
“Tillis, a tax writer, said he wants a different approach that would treat people with similar earnings more equally.”
Equally eh.... dude doesn’t have a clue about the real world. Last I checked, waitstaff make about $2.15 per hour and rely on tips to make up the difference.
Exactly......................
What an asshole.
Tillis is a SNAKE IN THE GRASS SABOTEUR.
Tillis is up for re-election next year in a state Trump won by only 3%. His last election was won by < 1% and the state elected a Dem governor. Further, there is population gain since and it is concentrated urban.
He’s not going to toe all the Trump lines.
What a buffoon! When you work for tips, there’s no guarantee of tips; when you work in a warehouse, your pay is guaranteed. Is it unfair when people have a bad week of tips while the warehouse folks get their full pay? Does Tillis want legislation to even that out as well? Another reason for this clown to be retired. Yesterday would have been great, but today will work fine.
Thillis will do anything to gum up the works.
The Repubs are trying to run out clock on Trump’s Presidency.
Resistance
They thought it was Paramount Joe got what he wanted.
I propose sending this arrogant splooge a food ticket with the current hourly rate of each waitstaff written bigly in permanent marker. Swamp the jerk from all corners of the country.
If the Senate already passed Ted Cruz’s bill eliminating the tax on tips UNANIMOUSLY, as noted in the article, why is this idiot still debating it?
Just pass the fricking Bill already. Now is not even the time for this discussion.
Every super power in history met their demise by over spending and fugly debt
Why should we be different?
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