Dems release interactive maps to make case against GOP tax law

Democrats on Congress’s Joint Economic Committee launched interactive maps on Monday as part of the party’s efforts to make the election-year case against the tax law President Trump signed in December.

The online maps show how middle-class Americans in each state would benefit from $193,000 — the average tax cut a member of the top 0.1 percent of earners will receive for 2018 under the new law, according to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center.

For example, the maps show that in Ohio, $193,000 is equal to 3.6 years of median household income, 49 years of health-care premiums for the typical household, 26 years of child care costs for the typical household and 145 years of electric bills for the typical household.

The maps are being released as Democrats and Republicans are engaged in a messaging battle over the tax law.

Republicans are highlighting the fact that most Americans will see their taxes cut in the near-term under the law. Democrats, meanwhile, are focused on how the wealthiest Americans will be getting larger tax cuts than middle-class taxpayers.

Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee said they also plan to release more interactive online tools in the future to highlight data and policy issues.

“These interactive maps and charts will give constituents and Congress alike the opportunity to learn more about economic trends in our country in a new way,” said Joint Economic Committee ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.).

“As the evidence mounts that the Republican tax law serves large corporations and the wealthy, this initial map will display how the tax bill is affecting American families throughout different states and regions.”