(Washington, D.C.) – Representative Jill Tokuda voted to pass the bipartisan H.R. 7024, the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, which passed the House with 357 votes. This bill is a significant step forward in reducing child poverty and would help families in Hawaiʻi and across the nation afford essentials like food, rent, and child care.
The bill also includes an important provision based on legislation authored and supported by Rep. Tokuda to allow more disaster-affected individuals to claim a personal casualty loss by eliminating the requirement to itemize deductions and removing the 10 percent loss requirement to qualify. The measure would also exclude wildfire relief payments, as result of a federally declared wildfire disaster, from taxable income.
The bill also fixes an issue caused by the Trump tax cuts that has harmed companies throughout Hawai‘i and the country seeking to invest in innovation. In cutting taxes for large corporations, the Trump tax cuts forced companies to cover certain research and development expenses, significantly increasing their tax burden. This bill would fix this issue and support businesses at the forefront of innovation and research.
“I voted to pass the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act because while it should have gone even further to expand the Child Tax Credit, anything we can do to reduce child poverty will help families in Hawaiʻi and across the nation,” said Representative Jill Tokuda. “According to estimates, 48,000 keiki in Hawaiʻi benefit from the expanded child tax credit in the first year alone. That’s real money in a family’s pocket to cover essentials like food, rent, and childcare.
“I am especially proud to see that the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024 includes an important provision I championed based on the Natural Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023, which would help victims of the Maui fires and other natural disasters reduce their tax burden and penalties as they seek to recover and rebuild,” said Representative Jill Tokuda. “Having the cash and financial resources they need goes a long way in giving people hope and a path to recovery for themselves and their families.”
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