In the future, tips will be tax-free in the USA. Republican Trump was able to score points with this proposal. Now Democrat Harris is also demanding the same. Will she take the wind out of his sails?
Two months after a corresponding proposal by Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump, Democrat Kamala Harris now also wants to abolish the tax on tips in the USA after an election victory. The presidential candidate promised this at a campaign event in Las Vegas.
Because of legalized gambling, a large number of people in the desert city work in the hotel and catering industry. They often receive the relatively low minimum wage, which is why many employees rely on tips. The minimum wage is set by the states.
“And it is my promise to everyone here: If I am president, I will continue the fight for America’s working families, including raising the minimum wage and eliminating taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers,” the vice president told thousands of supporters.
Trump proposed abolishing the tip tax around two months ago in Las Vegas and was met with a positive response in the contested state of Nevada. Now his opponent seems to want to take the wind out of his sails when it comes to this popular demand – Trump reacted promptly.
Harris had “copied” his proposal, he wrote on the platform Truth Social, which he co-founded, and expressed doubts as to whether the Democrat was serious. “The difference is that she won’t do it, she only wants to do it for political reasons,” he wrote. “That was a Trump idea.” Harris has no ideas of her own and can only “steal” from him, he complained. The Republican candidate for vice president, JD Vance, followed up on Platform X with the question of why the vice president had not implemented the plan now, since she was part of the government.
The government cannot change the taxation of tips on its own: it would require appropriate legislation from Parliament.
The state of Nevada, where Las Vegas is located, is a so-called “swing state”: It cannot be firmly assigned to either the Democrats or the Republicans, which is why candidates from both parties are campaigning intensively for votes there.
