Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 4-12-19

Political
Kamala Harris Revives Tax Credit Push To Help People
Pay For Housing Costs
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is reviving her proposal to pro- vide new tax credits to help families with high housing costs.
The California senator on Tuesday will reintroduce the Rent Relief Act, which would establish refundable tax cred- its in cases when rent and util- ities exceed 30 percent of a household’s income.
She first introduced the legislation last July, with a handful of Senate Democrats as co-sponsors, including New York’s Kirsten Gillibrand, who is also running for presi- dent.
“Housing is a human right, and we must act now to end the affordable housing crisis and provide relief to working families who are worried about making each month’s rent,” Harris said in a state-
KAMALA HARRIS
ment.
In a statement provided to
Roll Call ahead of the formal release, Harris said the tax credit would ensure “basic se- curity and dignity that every American deserves to have in their own home.”
In a change from last year’s
version, the new bill would provide a mechanism for the Treasury Department to pay out the tax credit, which is re- fundable, on a monthly basis to eligible households.
The tax credit’s availability gradually decreases as house- hold gross income increases, and it is dependent on the rent paid being in line with the av- erage cost of housing in a given neighborhood.
Refundable tax credits are paid out by the government even in cases when there is no income tax liability, making them a frequent target for crit- icism by conservatives.
Harris has made high- lighting the extent to which many American families live on the precipice of financial ruin one of the key themes of her presidential campaign, in- cluding housing costs and un- expected expenses.
Bernie Sanders Declines To Say When He Will Release Tax Returns
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders sidestepped ques- tions Thursday about when he will release his tax returns, with the Vermont independent hinting he could fulfill his six- week old pledge to make public 10 years of tax returns on April 15 -- Tax Day.
Yet, as quickly as Sanders suggested that, he appeared to backtrack and wouldn't com- mit that he would release them then.
"Do you know what April 15th is? It's Tax Day," Sanders told CNN on Capitol Hill when asked if there was an issue to releasing his taxes. "So, I think we want to make sure we have all of them together and as I said, they will be released soon."
When asked if that meant he would not necessarily re- lease his tax returns on April 15, Sanders responded, "That's it. Thank you very much."
An aide then stepped in front of CNN and said, "he an- swered your question" and re- ferred CNN to follow up with a Sanders' spokesperson.
That exchange followed a news conference earlier Thurs- day on a the House passing a Yemen War Powers Resolution earlier. When asked about the tax returns at that news confer- ence, Sanders declined to an-
Sooner than later:' Bernie Sanders offers no clear time- line for release of his tax re- turns
swer.
"Today let's worry about the
starving children in Yemen," he said, before departing the room.
Despite being asked about the returns for weeks, Sanders has yet to release them and his campaign has not explained the process in any more precise detail, even as Sanders has repeatedly said that there is nothing revelatory about his finances. But the pressure to disclose is mount- ing as his Democratic primary opponents begin to release their own.
"Sooner than later" is what Sanders told Wolf Blitzer at a CNN town hall in February, just a few days after he launched his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomi- nation.
O’Rourke, Castro Talk Reparations At Civil Rights Conference
NEW YORK — On the opening day of a gathering of black leaders and voters in New York, two Texans seeking the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination delved into the issue of reparations for African Americans over slavery.
Speaking at the four-day conference of the National Ac- tion Network, the civil rights organization founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke and former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro weighed in on the topic. The question of whether to support reparations for African Americans as a means of addressing centuries
BETO O’ROURKE
of slavery and legal discrimina- tion emerged as something of a litmus test earlier this year for Democratic presidential candi- dates.
PAGE 2-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2019