Overview
- Two Senate proposals now define the push, with Cory Booker seeking to exempt the first $75,000 for married filers and Chris Van Hollen proposing a $92,000 threshold, which would boost take‑home pay for many households that live paycheck to paycheck.
- Backers say they would cover the cost by raising taxes on corporations and the ultrawealthy, and Van Hollen has also voiced support for a federal wealth tax on billionaires.
- Policy analysts from center-left to progressive circles warn the math likely falls short, saying the plans could shrink the tax base and make it harder to fund priorities like child care, paid leave and Medicare expansions.
- The message is spreading to state races, with California’s Katie Porter pitching no state income tax for families under $100,000 and Georgia’s Keisha Lance Bottoms proposing to exempt public school teachers from state income taxes.
- The fight is shaping the run-up to 2028 as figures like Rep. Ro Khanna reject the trend and critics link it to copycat efforts after 2024’s “no taxes on tips,” even as a recent Gallup poll found half of Americans now view their income taxes as unfair.