OUCH: The deficit reduction plan hammered out...

OUCH: The deficit reduction plan hammered out by congressional leaders and the White House will hurt middle- and low-income Americans hardest (A22). In Orange County, 15% of households earn $25,000 or less, and it is they who will bear the brunt of tax increases and benefit cuts. Congress calculates that taxpayers with average after-tax incomes of roughly $26,000 would have to endure an average of $338 in additional taxes and higher benefit costs.