ROANOKE, Va. – The debate continued Tuesday over whether a new tax plan would help or hurt middle-class Americans.
Republican leaders in Washington are moving forward this week with a proposal they say will cut the deficit and help the middle class.
Top Virginia Democrats stated their disapproval Tuesday, saying the plan will increase the deficit and put a burden on most families. They say the plan is not in the best interest of Virginians.
“It is really difficult to imagine that Republicans in Washington are finding a way to make this tax bill a worse deal for the middle class but they’ve now done that," Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe said.
Roanoke City Republican Committee Chairman Charlie Nave agreed with GOP leadership that this plan will help the middle class.
"What I really liked the most was the fact that they were going to end the red states subsidy of blue state property taxes and sales tax," he said. "That's been something that's been wrong with the tax code for a real long time."
Nave also said he's glad to see many college endowments could face more taxation under the plan.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said if the proposal fails to pass, the tax reform process will not be over, but he hopes the Democrats would get a say in the next plan.