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Justice Means Fair Taxes

As people of faith, we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. This teaching, common to our diverse traditions, leads us to condemn laws that withhold justice from people who are struggling to escape poverty.

We thus strongly oppose the tax bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate. By showering the very wealthiest Americans and powerful corporations with massive tax cuts while leaving behind families working hard to put food on the table, this bill fails a basic moral test. We pray the Senate will reject this immoral legislation and instead prioritize policies that support struggling families.

While the Republican-sponsored tax plan is complex, its moral priorities are clearly and simply wrong. Nonpartisan estimates conclude that it will cause 13 million Americans to lose their health insurance, slash taxes on vast inherited fortunes, and increase taxes on millions of working-class families by the year 2021. We are alarmed that the child tax credit disproportionately benefits the wealthy while excluding many people of color and low income families. It even includes a tax break for private jets. And by increasing the budget deficit by more than $1.5 trillion, the bill also sets the stage for unconscionable cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and food stamps, which are lifelines for low-income Americans, seniors and the middle class.

Our faiths call us to seek justice: a tax system that helps struggling families and ensures that everyone pays their fair share.

We call on our Senators to do the right thing for their constituents and listen to God’s call at this pivotal moment by killing this wrongheaded legislation.

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