By Kerry Picket (The Washington Times)
The District of Columbia Republican Party urged the end of the federal income tax for the city’s residents as the best counterargument to the Democrats’ push for statehood.
The Republicans said exempting the city from federal income tax would be “truly transformational” if President Trump supported it.
“Washington is not a state. It is the federal district, created to serve as the seat of the national government and ultimately governed by Congress. If D.C. remains under federal control, its residents should be treated more like residents of U.S. territories for tax purposes,” the city’s GOP said.
“In several U.S. territories, bona fide residents generally do not pay regular federal income tax on territory-sourced income, though the exact rules vary by territory.”
They said that if District residents are exempted from paying federal income taxes, it weakens the push for statehood and Democrats lose their most impactful slogan and clearest argument for adding two likely Democratic senators.
The Republicans also said that the lower tax burden would make the District drive up property values, attract families, professionals, entrepreneurs and retirees to the city, encouraging investment, homeownership and stronger neighborhoods.
“This is exactly the kind of move President Trump is uniquely positioned to make: bold, simple, pro-taxpayer, politically disruptive, and impossible for the Left to ignore,” the Republicans said.
This article was made available to WMAL via The Washington Times.
