“By Lowering Taxes, Rewarding Work and Strengthening Our Economy, We Are Restoring Opportunity and Ensuring the American Dream Remains Within Reach for the Next Generation.”
Op-Ed Details Tax Relief for Families, Seniors and Small Businesses in Florida
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, penned an op-ed in the Tampa Bay Times highlighting the benefits of Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts and how the historic tax relief is helping families, seniors and small businesses across Florida keep more of their hard-earned money.
In the op-ed, Buchanan explains how the largest tax cuts in American history are delivering real results for Floridians, simplifying the tax code, increasing take-home pay and helping families build long-term financial security while strengthening small businesses and local economies.
“Thanks to Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts, the largest tax cut in American history, millions of Floridians will owe less,” writes Buchanan in the op-ed. “Families, seniors and small businesses across our state will see lower tax bills and bigger refunds when they go to file their taxes. Families right here in Southwest Florida are already seeing the impact: the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports that tax refunds for early filers are already up almost 11% this year, with even greater refunds on the horizon.”
Read the full op-ed here or below:
Restoring opportunity for Floridians, one tax return at a time
Vern Buchanan
As tax season begins, Floridians are filing their returns and asking the same question: How much will I owe this year?
Thanks to Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts, the largest tax cut in American history, millions of Floridians will owe less. Families, seniors and small businesses across our state will see lower tax bills and bigger refunds when they go to file their taxes. Families right here in Southwest Florida are already seeing the impact: the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports that tax refunds for early filers are already up almost 11% this year, with even greater refunds on the horizon.
Here’s what that means for you: the Working Families Tax Cuts simplified the tax code by doubling the standard deduction used by nearly 90% of taxpayers and locking in lower individual tax rates for everyone. The tax cuts will raise wages in Florida by up to $6,800, and the typical Florida family will see up to $10,500 in higher take-home pay—a lifechanging amount of money for families across all income levels.
For parents concerned about their kids’ future, we created “Trump Accounts,” new savings vehicles for children that teach kids the power of saving, investing and financial responsibility. With maximum contributions, a child born in 2026 could see the account grow to more than $300,000 by age 18 and over $1 million by age 28. We also gave children born between 2025 and 2028 a $1,000 starter investment from the Treasury to begin building long-term financial stability. Parents can open a Trump Account by filing IRS Form 4547 with their tax return or by visiting trumpaccounts.gov.
We strengthened the Child Tax Credit and increased it to $2,200 per child beginning in 2025. We also made the Paid Family and Medical Leave Tax Credit permanent and expanded it to all 50 states, ensuring more workers are covered. For working families concerned about the rising costs of raising children, the Working Families Tax Cuts provides real relief that empowers parents and reduces child poverty.
Seniors will see meaningful relief as well. Representing nearly 200,000 seniors in Florida’s 16th District, I regularly hear from seniors living on fixed incomes who are worried about rising costs. The Working Families Tax Cuts created a new $6,000 deduction for seniors, which means nearly 88% of seniors who receive Social Security will pay no federal taxes on their benefits. We’re putting real money back into the pockets of retirees who earned it.
We’re also standing up for America’s workers. By eliminating federal income taxes on tips and overtime pay, we’re ensuring that servers, nurses, law enforcement officers and hourly employees keep more of what they earn. When you file your return, you’ll see these new deductions calculated on IRS Schedule 1-A, the form designed to claim the new relief. You can calculate your own savings using our Tax-Free Tips & Overtime Calculator and see how much more you could take home.
We also strengthened America’s small businesses, the backbone of our local economies. The law made the small business deduction permanent and restored 100% immediate expensing, giving 3 million small businesses in Florida the certainty they need to grow, hire and invest. When small businesses thrive, wages rise and communities prosper.
As your congressman and the Vice Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, I worked closely with my colleagues to include four of my own bills in the Working Families Tax Cuts to address issues of importance to Florida. I fought to eliminate federal income taxes on tips for Florida’s tens of thousands of hospitality and tourism workers. I also worked to restore the mortgage insurance premium deduction and fix unfair condominium accounting rules to provide tax relief for middle-class families struggling while housing prices skyrocket in Florida. Finally, I achieved permanency for key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to make permanent tax cuts for individuals and small businesses across our state.
As a living testament to the promise of the American Dream, this bill is the culmination of my life’s work. I grew up with five siblings in a blue-collar household where my parents worked factory jobs to provide for our family. After serving in the Air National Guard and working my way through college, I built a small business. I succeeded because America rewarded hard work and had a tax system that encouraged entrepreneurship.
I came to Congress to preserve that same opportunity for today’s families and entrepreneurs — and the Working Families Tax Cuts is delivering on that promise. By lowering taxes, rewarding work and strengthening our economy, we are restoring opportunity and ensuring the American Dream remains within reach for the next generation.
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) is the vice chair of the Ways and Means Committee and the chair of the Health Subcommittee. Prior to serving in Congress, Buchanan was in business for over 30 years and chaired both the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and Florida Chamber of Commerce.
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