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What the hell are "abortion services?"
A woman is a born person and a fetus is not. I see anti-abortionists carrying on about a damned fetus, for ages now having insisted that a fetus should have the same status as a born child, yet, AFAIK, nary a one proposed that pregnant women be eligible for a personal exemption (when the tax code still offered them) for having a fetus, a child care tax credit (CTC) for having a fetus, or any other child-related tax break.
Aside:
It takes no great math skill to see that, relative to the prior personal exemption and CTC provisions, the Trump tax bill makes it more expensive to have children, regardless of one's views on abortion.
- A woman either is or is not pregnant.
- If she is pregnant, she's either going to remain so for up to ~9 months or she's not.
- If she's not going to remain pregnant, there are several ways that can happen.
- Of the ways she can become not-pregnant before giving birth, one of them is healthy/safe for her and the rest likely are not.
- Why anyone would deny a woman the ability to safely become not-pregnant is beyond me.
A woman is a born person and a fetus is not. I see anti-abortionists carrying on about a damned fetus, for ages now having insisted that a fetus should have the same status as a born child, yet, AFAIK, nary a one proposed that pregnant women be eligible for a personal exemption (when the tax code still offered them) for having a fetus, a child care tax credit (CTC) for having a fetus, or any other child-related tax break.
Aside:
How personal exemptions and the child-care credits work(-ed):
For individuals who did not itemize on Schedule A in 2017 and won't in 2018, the analysis is simple:
For individuals who did not itemize on Schedule A in 2017 and won't in 2018, the analysis is simple:
2017 Calculation:
AGI
Less: Standard deduction ($6,350 or $12,700)
Less: $4050 per household individual, dependent, or spouse (personal exemptions)
Taxable income
Times: Applicable effective tax rate (e)
Provisional tax liability
Less: Qualified child tax credit (the refundable $1K per kid (c) CTC phases out in direct proportion to income)
Total 2017 federal income tax liability
Less: $4050 per household individual, dependent, or spouse (personal exemptions)
Taxable income
Times: Applicable effective tax rate (e)
Provisional tax liability
Less: Qualified child tax credit (the refundable $1K per kid (c) CTC phases out in direct proportion to income)
Total 2017 federal income tax liability
2018 Calculation:
AGI
Less: Standard deduction ($12,200 or $24,400)
Taxable income
Times: Applicable effective tax rate (e)
Provisional tax liability
Less: Qualified child tax credit (up to $2000 per child (c); click here for the new terms of the CTC)
Total 2018 federal income tax liability
Less: Standard deduction ($12,200 or $24,400)
Taxable income
Times: Applicable effective tax rate (e)
Provisional tax liability
Less: Qualified child tax credit (up to $2000 per child (c); click here for the new terms of the CTC)
Total 2018 federal income tax liability
It takes no great math skill to see that, relative to the prior personal exemption and CTC provisions, the Trump tax bill makes it more expensive to have children, regardless of one's views on abortion.
[*=1]2017 value of standard deduction, CTC and personal exemptions for non-itemizers:
[*=1]Single: y = (4050x + 6350)e + 1000c
[*=1]Married filing jointly: y = (4050x + 12,700)e + 1000c
[*=1]Single: y = 12,200e + 2000c
[*=1]Married filing jointly: y = 24,400e + 2000c
As if raising kids isn't expensive enough -- I have four children -- Trump's tax plan made the cost of doing so even more impactful. As a woman once said to me, "Some people have children. I have wealth and options." Much as I love my kids, it's hard to argue with her for, like everyone, I've complained about my kids, but I've never complained about my money or the options it affords me.