Patrick Li — April 14, 2026
Since the inception of the American state, citizens have been taught that the founding principles of their country are rooted in the revolt against unfair taxes, namely, the American Revolution. Yet, this viewpoint seems to hit harder on April 15th, the day that Americans file their tax returns. If the mantra of the Boston Tea Party was “no taxation without representation,” the concurrent mood in domestic politics seems to be dropping in the second half.
The issue is bipartisan, especially with the income tax itself. In order to fund the state, many on the left propose to squeeze the richest earners, while many on the conservative flank propose hitting foreigners with tariffs (lofty goals, at best, given the gridlock) to replace burdening the median constituent. As of now, proposals to substitute revenue pools from both sides seem to fall flat.
The GOP’s predominant dislike of taxes is longer-standing and better known. Last year’s “One Big Beautiful bill” extended expiring Trump-era tax cuts, including the enormously popular “no tax on tips” provision. This is projected to cost several trillion dollars in deficit over the next decade; meanwhile, Trump 2 has cut around 25,000 employees from the IRS, making it easier for the wealthy to dodge taxes.
Lately, Democrats have begun to respond. Senators Cory Booker and Chris Van Hollen unveiled tax plans last month. Each would sharply increase the number of Americans paying no federal income tax at all.
Booker’s plan more than doubles the standard deduction to $37,500 for single filers and $75,000 for married couples—a benefit that extends up the income scale to the well off as well. He also proposes a number of tax credits specifically aimed at low-income Americans, alongside higher rates on top earners to help pay for them. Yet, even after these offsets, independent scorekeepers put the cost at nearly 5-7 trillion over the next decade, roughly double that of Mr Trump’s effort (Booker insists he would find the rest of the money by closing loopholes and taxing corporations more).
Van Holen’s plan has a similar shape, but is less eye-popping in sheer scale. He would eliminate income taxes for single earners making below $46,000 and couples earning below $92,000, before phasing these giveaways for higher earners. This plan is deficit-neutral (the cuts are paired with net increases in heavy surtaxes for those making above 1M per year).
Both plans at the moment seem to be stopped short; Democrats do not have control over the federal government, and thus are hindered by looming presidential vetoes. Yet, it is no surprise that any plan to continually taper down taxation across the board has strong public support. A recent YouGov survey finds that two-thirds of the public favor core components of Booker’s plan.
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