House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain marked Tax Day on Wednesday with a roundtable featuring lawmakers, workers, small business owners, manufacturers, farmers, and tax professionals who said the Working Families Tax Cuts, passed last year, increased refunds, reduced taxes on tips and overtime pay, and provided relief for small businesses during the first filing season under the law.
The April 15 event, held alongside Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR), came as Democrats used Tax Day to promote a different message focused on higher taxes for wealthy Americans.
Meanwhile, McClain, who has traveled to seven districts to promote the tax law alongside local manufacturers and small businesses, used her Tax Day roundtable to focus on several provisions in the Working Families Tax Cuts, including no tax on tips, an expanded child tax credit, no tax on overtime, relief for small businesses through Section 199A, bonus depreciation and research and development incentives, and what Republicans described as bigger paychecks.
“For too many families, the last few years felt like a constant squeeze. You worked more, but your money did less,” McClain said, asserting that Republicans fought for the Working Families Tax Cuts because “A lot of people started wondering whether anyone actually understood what that felt like. Republicans did.” Wittman said the law provides “historic relief that reaches all Americans — from seniors to families, small business owners, service industry employees, and first responders,” while Womack said he was “incredibly proud” that workers in his district were “keeping more of their hard-earned money this tax season” because of the no tax on tips provision, he and stressed that “every dollar counts.”
George Agurkis, H&R Block’s vice president of government relations, said that according to the latest IRS data, refunds are up about 11 percent this year. He added that the Treasury Department reported more than four million taxpayers had claimed the no tax on tips provision. Agurkis pointed to one example from Southern California, where “one tax pro prepared a return for a single mother who works at a bowling alley, and, generally, she would owe every year. And this year, claiming No Tax on Tips, she actually got a refund.”
Simmons, a full-time DoorDash driver who delivered McDonald’s to President Trump at the White House earlier this week, said many Dashers had benefited from the no tax on tips provision, adding, “They’re getting more money back into their homes.”
Stacey Tyree, a Great Clips employee, said that after years of ending up owing taxes, she received a refund this year because of the No Tax on Tips provision, which allowed her to enroll her husband as a dependent on her health insurance “for the first time in his entire adult life.”
Amber Benamati and Ron Benamati, who both work at Metallus, where their son Jacob Lacey is also employed, said the Working Families Tax Cuts changed how their family views overtime work. Amber Benamati said, “It’s been great for our family—it’s changed a lot of things. We actually got a tax return back this year, which is nice. And I like to work overtime now.” Ron Benamati added, “It’s nice being able to keep the money in our pocket where it belongs.”
Kaylee McGhee White said her family benefited from the expanded child tax credit, which would “help us rebuild from the inflation and damage the Biden Administration wrought on our economy.”
Paola Hinton, owner of Five Senses Spa, Salon, and Barbershop, said, “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but I can’t wait for Tax Day. This year, it’s different for small business owners and working Americans.” She said that over the past few weeks she had heard from salon owners across the country, including a woman in California who received more than $38,000 in tax credits from two locations, Brandon in Texas who was using his savings to fund 401(k)s for employees, and Brian in Georgia who was able to maintain health insurance for his team. Hinton added, “The impact is very, very real.”
Elizabeth Gartner, who said she and her husband own 12 Great Clips salons in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Eastern Kentucky, said they had collected more than $1 million in tips by September of last year and saved $76,000 when they filed their taxes this year because they were no longer paying taxes on money that never reached their topline revenue. She said the savings was used to improve employee benefit packages.
Sarah White, managing partner of Westover Taco, which she described as a small restaurant in Arlington, said her restaurant and employees saw larger refunds this year, saying, Just having the opportunity to see our tax returns this year—to see our staff light up when they see their tax refunds this year—has just been amazing.
Mike Twining, vice president of sales and marketing for Willard Agri-Service, said provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill and the Working Families Tax Cuts, particularly expensing and investment incentives, lowered the upfront cost of durable machinery, production facilities, and other necessary equipment for his business and its agricultural customers.
Buddy Henley, president of Henley Construction, said, “Small family-owned businesses like mine need tax policy they can count on,” adding that the provision making small business deductions permanent gave companies like his greater certainty to reinvest in equipment, materials, and workers without concern about future tax increases.
Sarah Wellman of Ryder System said the allowance of EBITA and 100 percent bonus depreciation “couldn’t have come at a more pivotal time” as the trucking industry “has been navigating a multi-year freight downturn,” adding that the provisions “help drive long-term capital investments” and spur “the investment and deployment of newer equipment with safety and efficiency benefits.”
Matt Frostic, vice president of the National Corn Growers Association and a fifth-generation farmer, said making the tax cuts permanent in agriculture would allow farms to make long-term decisions and manage risk more effectively. He said, “To be able to know that we have a way of investing and a way of leveling our tax consequences from year to year brings that longevity and a sense of permanence to our farms.”
Jasmyn Jordan
Read More