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Posted on 01/23/2015 12:13:16 PM PST by SoConPubbie
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, today introduced the Operation United Assistance Tax Exclusion Act, which provides that service members deployed to combat the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa be entitled to the same tax benefits as those serving in a combat zone.
The bill is cosponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. The benefit shall only apply to service members who are required to undergo a 21-day quarantine. Fort Hood deployed about 500 troops for this mission. About 80 have returned and are currently in isolation at North Fort Hood.
"While we take steps to protect Americans at home, we must never forget that once our Armed Forces are deployed in harm's way, Congress and the commander-in-chief have a responsibility to support them and their families who remain behind," Cruz said. "That’s why I am also reintroducing the Operation United Assistance Tax Exclusion Act, to give our troops the appropriate recognition for their service in the fight against Ebola."
Cruz filed similar legislation at the end of last year, but it never came to a vote.
Rose L. Thayer is the military editor for the Killeen Daily Herald. She joined the paper in February 2011 as a health and military reporter. View her complete profile Here. You can contact Rose L. Thayer at rthayer@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7463. Follow her on Twitter at KDHmilitary.
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I can’t think of any reason anyone would oppose this bill, but I bet you the Democrats find one.
Second try for the bill.
Looks like Dingy Harry and Rats wouldn’t let it come to a vote last year, not a surprise I guess.
There are plenty of folks who’ve got shitty deployments. What do you tell them?
While waiting on the phone this morning at the County Tax Assessor’s office the recording told me that they’d given a break to all county owners and that it had saved them an average $471 per year on their taxes. I know where the assessor made up the difference between what they needed and the break they gave the voters. I own three rentals. The taxes on them went up hundreds of dollars. Since most of my renters couldn’t afford even a small increase, I have waited until I got new renters and raised the rent. On average, rent when up in this county by 18% in just three years. The renters are much less likely to vote than homeowners and if they do they’re not likely to know or understand that giving a tax break to home owners is likely to increase their rent.
I vote against any pandering to any group, military or elderly or poor, because if the tax is bad for them it is equally bad for all. If the tax was equally burdensome than more people would actively oppose ridiculous overreach by elected officials. For example, we are covered by a Federal EPA, a State EPA, a County EPA and a city EPA. Why do we have a County and City EPA? Oh, did I mention they have police powers and arrest people for burning trash? Imagine the cost: a building, office furniture, personnel, training, cars, trucks, scientific equipment, insurance benefits, retirement…The extra and unnecessary cost is outrageous. It’s there because the voters, those with houses in this case, don’t protest. Why would we duplicate the services of the state and the federal government at the local and super-local level? Because they can.
Exemptions are pure pandering. The fact that you like the people being pandered to is no excuse for allowing it. We need everybody to be upset and invested in where their tax money is spent. I like Cruz, but politicians who suggest things like this are pandering.
Suck it up..
See the Democrat at line #7 for an explanation.
You real sure about that? Spc. Kendrick Vernell Sneed had just come back to Ft. Hood from Liberia and was found dead in his front yard. He was allowed to self monitor and we all know how well that works. After a week and a half, no cause of death has been determined and they're brining in an autopsy team from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. Hmmm, Delaware to Texas? Sure, because coroners are always flown half way across the country.
Soldiers on active duty should owe ZERO taxes. Period.
“I can’t think of any reason anyone would oppose this bill, but I bet you the Democrats find one.”
One of the planks in my Presidential Platform is that anyone on active military service should have all their income listed as tax free.
People stationed in Liberia already get HDP-L and I can’t imagine that area hasn’t been designated a qualified hazardous duty area.
At least those that serve in forward areas.
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