Disastrous US tax bill

“US Senate okays major tax cuts in Trump victory” (International News, December 3) shows that the Republican party wants to benefit the wealthiest Americans and highly profitable corporations rather than average Americans. Please consider:

• It is the wealthiest Americans and highly profitable corporations – which have already greatly benefited economically in recent years – that will receive major tax breaks while many middle-class people will see few benefits and, in many cases, be faced with tax increases.

• Despite the Republicans’ long-time profession of concern about reducing deficits, the tax bill would greatly increase the national debt by about $1.5 trillion over 10 years. This in turn would provide an excuse for Republicans to reduce health, environmental and other benefits that most Americans depend on.

• The bill would eliminate the “individual mandate” of the Affordable Care Act, resulting in 13 million Americans losing health insurance, with health insurance premiums for others increasing sharply.

• At a time when it is essential that there be a major shift toward renewable energy sources to avert a climate catastrophe, the bill permits drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and reduces incentives for solar and wind energy projects.

Fortunately, there is still time to prevent such a tax bill from reaching the desk of President Donald Trump because the Senate and House have to reconcile the major differences in their bills and vote on a single final draft. For the reasons above – and many more – this disastrous bill, which was rushed through in a very undemocratic way without hearings or sufficient discussions, must be defeated. RICHARD H. SCHWARTZ Shoresh