Editor, Gazette-Journal:
On July 3, Representative Rob Wittman proudly announced his vote supporting the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) which touted many things but conveniently did not say anything about eliminating the tax on Social Security. I for one was looking forward to paying no tax on my Social Security income to which I paid 6.5 percent of my lifetime income towards. I wonder why?
It turns out that the tax on Social Security income cannot be eliminated because of a Congressional restriction (the Byrd Rule). What the BBB does provide is a temporary deduction of up to $6,000 for seniors aged 65 and over with an Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of $75,000 or less or $12,000 for a 65-yearold couple earning $150,000. Further, this deduction expires 12/31/28!
So what this means is that if you fall below the AGI levels above you can add $6,000 or $12,000 to your itemized deductions, if you itemize, which may or may not reduce your total income tax due. Also, if your income is above the AGI lev...