The U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Res. 1156 on Apr. 16, a resolution introduced by U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, Chairman of the Ways & Means Subcommittee on Tax, supporting tax policies aimed at working families.
The resolution is significant as it highlights the impact of the Working Families Tax Cuts, which supporters say provide financial relief to American households and reward labor through targeted tax breaks.
“In Western Pennsylvania, when people say they work a ‘half day,’ it’s likely they mean 12 hours, not four. Folks here are like so many of their fellow Americans across the country: they know the value of an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay,” Kelly said in remarks following passage of his resolution. “The Working Families Tax Cuts reward hard work today while saving you money for tomorrow… From employers to employees, from children to seniors, the Working Families Tax Cuts make historic investments in Western Pennsylvania and the United States, both for today and for generations to come.” He added that these new policies include provisions such as No Tax on Tips and No Tax on Overtime.
According to information released with Kelly’s announcement, this year’s law delivered an estimated $222 billion in refunds nationwide with an average tax cut of $3,750 per taxpayer; Pennsylvania households received an average cut of $3,500 this year.
Recent data from April shows more than 25 million taxpayers claimed a new overtime deduction and over six million claimed deductions on tipped income under these provisions; nearly half of all filers benefited from at least one signature measure included in the legislation. In total, more than 53 million filers took advantage of President Trump’s new tax cuts and overall refunds increased by more than ten percent compared to last year according to U.S Treasury data.
Kelly’s resolution also states that Americans whose income places them in the top one percent will now pay almost forty percent of total income taxes due to these changes while those in the remaining ninety-nine percent will see their share drop to sixty percent.
Mike Kelly has represented Pennsylvania’s 16th district since replacing Kathy Dahlkemper in Congress in 2011 according to congressional records. He was born in Pittsburgh in 1948 and currently resides in Butler as noted by official sources. Kelly graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor’s degree in 1970 according to Congress.gov.
