[Nfbv-announce] Legislative Alert - November 13, 2017

Mon Nov 13 04:27:07 UTC 2017

From: Derek Manners [mailto:derekmanners at gmail.com] 

Fellow Virginians,

As John Pare mentioned below, we need to call our members of the House of Representatives and tell them that we will not stand for the additional standard deduction for blind workers to be cut to pay for tax cuts for other people and corporations.  If you do not know who your member of the House of Representatives is, you can find that by entering your address here, https://www.house.gov/representatives/find/, or by shooting me an email with your address and I'll tell you who it is.  My email is derekmanners at gmail.com <mailto:derekmanners at gmail.com> .

Here's what I plan to say to my democratic member of the House:

Hello, I'm calling to let the representative know that the House version of the Republican Tax bill cuts the extra standard deduction for blind tax payers. I expect that the Congressman will oppose this bill anyway but I would appreciate it if he would raise this concern with his republican colleagues as I doubt they realize this provision is in the bill since it was drafted in secret. Thank you

If I were represented by a republican in Virginia this is what I would say. 

Hello, I wanted to let you know that, unlike the Senate bill, the House version of the Republican tax bill cuts the additional standard deduction for blind tax payers. I understand that Representative so and so did not write the tax bill but I hope she will make every effort to amend the bill to exclude this provision and align it with the Senate. Republicans ran on cutting people's taxes. Not raising taxes on people with disabilities.  

If you get any questions you do not know the answer to, please get the name of the staffer and tell them you will get back to them. Then shoot me an email and I'll follow up with them. 

District

Name

Party

Phone

1

 <https://wittman.house.gov/> Rob Wittman 

R

202-225-4261

2

Scott  <https://taylor.house.gov/> Taylor 

R

202-225-4215

3

Bobby  <https://bobbyscott.house.gov/> Scott. 

D

202-225-8351

4

Donald  <https://mceachin.house.gov/> McEachin 

D

202-225-6365

5

Thomas  <https://tomgarrett.house.gov/> Garrett 

R

202-225-4711

6

Bob  <https://goodlatte.house.gov/> Goodlatte 

R

202-225-5431

7

Dave  <https://brat.house.gov/> Brat 

R

202-225-2815

8

Don  <https://beyer.house.gov/> Beyer 

D

202-225-4376

9

Morgan  <https://morgangriffith.house.gov/> Griffith 

R

202-225-3861

10

Barbara  <https://comstock.house.gov/> Comstock 

R

202-225-5136

11

Gerry  <https://connolly.house.gov/> Connolly 

D

202-225-1492

Best regards

Derek

On Fri, Nov 10, 2017 at 4:38 PM, Pare, John via NFBNet-Members-List <nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org <mailto:nfbnet-members-list at nfbnet.org> > wrote:

Dear Fellow Federationists: 
The House of Representatives, Committee on Ways and Means, favorably reported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act out of committee on Thursday, November 9. The bill now goes to the House floor. Please continue to call your representative and urge him or her to demand that the additional standard deduction for blind people be restored.
A summary of the Senate companion bill, also called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, was released on Thursday, November 9. The Senate bill does not eliminate the additional standard deduction for the blind. This is extremely good news!
Please call your two senators and urge them to continue to maintain the additional standard deduction for the blind. Please also ask them to vote for any amendment which incorporates the Access Technology Affordability Act (S. 732) into the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
As a quick reminder, beginning in the 1940s, as a result of NFB’s advocacy, the IRS has included an additional standard deduction for blind people compared to non-blind people. This deduction reduces one’s taxable income and the corresponding amount of taxes a blind person has to pay. In 2017, the standard deduction for a non-blind person filing as single is $6,350 and the standard deduction for a blind person filing as single is $7,900, an increase of $1,550. As far as the effect this deduction has on how much in taxes one would have to pay, that depends on one’s individual tax situation.

The deduction is not intended to pay for a specific item, but all of the extra items that blind people have to pay for to live the lives we want. Examples include transportation, access technology, readers, Braille transcription, white canes, supplies for a guide dog, etc.

Your calls and emails are making a big difference so please keep them up! The best way to contact your member of Congress is to call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 <tel:(202)%20224-3121>  and ask for the office in question. Emailing your member of Congress is also a good idea. If you do so, please copy me at JPare at nfb.org <mailto:JPare at nfb.org> .
Warm regards,

John

John G. ParÃ© Jr. 
Executive Director for Advocacy and Policy
200 East Wells Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
(410) 659-9314, extension 2218 <tel:(410)%20659-9314>  | Jpare at nfb.org <mailto:Jpare at nfb.org> 

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The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want. 

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