Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act: Higgins joins bipartisan group leading legislation to fix tax bill hit on families of fallen servicemembers

Congressman Brian Higgins announced introduction of bipartisan legislation to, what his camp called, “fix a new provision of the tax code hurting the families of our fallen military.”

Gold Star Families – those who have lost a loved one during service in the U.S. Armed Forces – recently saw spikes in how their benefits are taxed under the new policies implemented in the 2017 tax bill. Higgins’ camp said, “Many spouses allocate their survivor benefits to their children. Previously, those benefits were taxed at around 15%, but due to changes in the ‘Kiddie Tax’ under the new tax bill, benefits to families are currently being taxed at up to a 37% rate.:

Higgins said, “We are extremely grateful to those who serve this nation and the families that support them. Gold Star families have paid the ultimate sacrifice. The tax bill’s focus on corporations and the wealthy left many working families behind. This represents an important fix for our military families. I hope we can continue to work in a bipartisan way to advance policies that support American families.

He serves as a member of the House Ways & Means Committee, which oversees tax policies.

Original Democratic cosponsors include Higgins, Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA), Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL), Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI), Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) and Rep. John Yarmuth (D-KY). Original Republican cosponsors include Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-TX), Rep. George Holding (R-NC), Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL), Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA), Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) and Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL)

Cosponsors of the bill are pushing for swift action on the Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act in the House of Representatives.