X/@MikeBenzCyber
Having recently found passage through the Senate, the No Tax on Tips Act inspired one of Mike Benz’s sharp political witticisms; having drummed up some scant outrage, Benz enigmatically tweeted about Washington’s “most powerful lobby: Big Waitress.” That joke was accompanied by a link to a news article about the Senate passing the No Tax on Tips bill, reviving bitter arguments about its merits for service workers.
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With the Senate having late in passing the No Tax on Tips Act, the adjustment for tipped income is now permitted under the law: that is, tip deduction of up to $25,000 shall be allowed for cash tips received by workers earning less than $160,000 per annum. This excludes tipping by credit cards, which is ordinarily the majority of tipping in many service industries, hence bringing confusion and criticism from some that the advertised implications are deceiving in what is actually implemented.
“This bill may be misunderstood by people who could truly profit from it, as the campaign slogan ‘no tax on tips’ may encourage workers to think that all tips are tax-free when, in fact, the present law considers only cash tips,” said one user. Conversely, some said, “Performative nonsense this bill is. It all undermines the real issues by trivializing income issues into ‘weird’ distinctions between types of income.”
The witty Benz tweet, referencing the “Big Waitress” label, became the object of several replies riffing off of the term, one jokingly suggesting that it be added to the “Dictionary of Mike Benz Linguistics.” Another suggested, “Big Bartender is more likely!!” On a more sinister note, some said that waiters and waitresses are more powerful than politicians, “they can spit in the food or worse.”
The act had sceptics fearing that it would help enrich the richer, or else constitute a loophole for unexplainable income. “I see this as a loophole to justify unexplainable income – ‘it’s all tips,’” said one, while others considered it a step towards financial relief for service workers: “NOW: No Tax On Social Security!”
This debate uncovers the tricky course of tax policy and messaging when set against industries dependent on tipping. And as the No Tax on Tips Act now goes forward, both the earnest and the sardonic presentations here serve as a perfect example of how the particularities of policy elude the limelight and become caught in political rhetoric. And Benz’s tweet proves indeed that bearing a grin can really land an effective commentary.
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Whether an amended version shall touch the House is yet unclear, but one thing that is agreed upon-the lobbyists for waitstaff already have a foothold in Washington-mostly in humor that is.
This story originally appeared on Celebrityinsider
