The Child Tax Credit Isn’t for All Working Families

Re “Tax Credit Move Is Stymied,” June 4: Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay refused to restore a child tax credit for millions of working families that was eliminated from the newly enacted tax cut law. DeLay stated, “There’s a lot of other things that are more important than that.”

For DeLay and his Republican politicians to ignore the daily child-care problems and needs of working families who contribute to the economy is an insult to not only them but to all Americans.

Once again this Republican administration continues to play “reverse Robin Hood,” stealing from the poor and middle class for the enrichment of the rich. Come election time, I hope families who are affected by this lack of child tax credit remember who did not want it.

Richard Nieto

Alhambra

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Re “It’s Business as Usual in Washington ... and Shame on Them,” Commentary, June 4: I really wish Arianna Huffington and her rich Westside limousine-liberal friends would get off their high horses on this class warfare nonsense.

Huffington bemoans the fact that the recently passed tax cut eliminated the child tax credit for low-income families.

Let’s call a spade a spade here. The group of people that Huffington was writing about pays no income taxes. Only those who pay income tax should get income tax cuts.

So who pays income taxes in this country? Do a little research and you’ll find that the top 1% of taxpayers pay 37.4% of the taxes collected in this country. The top 5% pay 56.5% of all taxes, the top 10% pay 67.3%, the top 25% pay 84% and the top 50% pay 96.1% of all the taxes collected in this country.

Any amount of tax relief is most welcome in our household, so thank you, Mr. President. For liberal fat cats like Huffington and her Westside neighbors, I suggest the following: When you get your refund checks in the mail, simply return them to the Internal Revenue Service and let the federal bureaucrats in Washington manage your money.

Geoffrey C. Church

Los Angeles

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DeLay said he would not permit a child tax credit for the working poor. It is time that Social Security taxes be included in the definition of “income taxes.” The Social Security tax is the original regressive flat tax imposed on the working poor. If it were to be included in the term “income tax,” the politicians and political hacks could no longer brush off the poor as tax-free. In fact, as a percentage of their gross incomes they are taxed at the highest rates.

Melvin D. Thomas

Orange