Kamala Harris is copying Trump's bill
Former President Trump has been campaigning for months with the abolition of the tip tax, should he be re-elected. Harris now follows suit. She also wants to scrap the tax - and goes one better.
Two months after a corresponding proposal by the Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump, the Democrat Kamala Harris also wants to abolish the taxation of tips in the US after a victory. The presidential candidate promised this at a campaign event in Las Vegas.
In the desert city, many people work in the hotel and catering industry due to the legalized gambling. They often receive the rather low minimum wage, making many employees dependent on tips. The minimum wage is set by the states.
"And it is my promise to all of you: If I am president, I will continue the fight for working American families, including an increase in the minimum wage and the elimination of taxes on tips for employees in the service and hospitality industry," the vice president said to thousands of supporters.
"That was a Trump idea"
Trump had proposed the abolition of the tip tax around two months ago in Las Vegas and had received good resonance in the hotly contested state of Nevada. Now, it seems, his opponent wants to take the wind out of his sails with the popular demand - Trump reacts promptly.
Harris had "copied" his proposal, he wrote on the platform Truth Social, which he co-founded, and expressed doubts about whether the Democrat was serious. "The difference is, she won't do it, she just wants to do it for political reasons," he wrote. "That was a Trump idea." Harris has no ideas of her own and can only "steal" from him, he complained. The Republican candidate for vice president, J.D. Vance, sent the question on the platform X, why the vice president does not implement the project now, since she is already part of the government.
The government cannot change the taxation of tips on its own: it would require corresponding legislation from parliament. The state of Nevada, where Las Vegas is located, is a so-called "swing state": it cannot be counted firmly for either the Democrats or the Republicans, which is why the candidates of both parties are campaigning intensively for votes there.
In response to Trump's proposal to abolish the tip tax two months ago, Harris declared at a Las Vegas event that she shares this goal and hopes to achieve it if elected. However, Trump accused Harris of copying his idea and questioned her sincerity, claiming that she only wants to benefit politically from it. Notably, he stated, "That was a Trump idea."
