1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

Hello. I am writing to urge you to vote yes on H.R. 1040, the Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act which will amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to terminate the inclusion of tier I railroad retirement benefits and Social Security benefits in an individual’s gross income. This legislation would enable senior citizens tax liability to be significantly reduced as they would no longer deal with the ‘double tax’ on their federally earned benefits. Before 1984, Social Security benefits were exempt from the federal income tax. Congress then enacted legislation to tax a portion of those benefits, with the share gradually increasing as a person’s income rose above a specified income threshold. This causes unnecessary financial burdens on our senior citizens, many of whom are already living on very reduced incomes. As a Social Worker in Ohio, I work with many senior citizens who deal with extreme stress related to reduced finances and increasing financial burdens placed on them. If this bill is passed, this would significantly reduce their tax burden and hopefully assist in providing our senior citizens with an improved quality of life.