Surviving Trump not taxing?

Most Filipinos who migrate to the United States face the intimidating challenges of taxes, inflation and a constantly evolving political environment.

For Lean, a US-based nurse since 2019, these challenges are part of his everyday life, even with a comfortable salary earned from long shifts in a critical care unit.

Having lived in the US for several years, Lean has come to see American politics in stark contrast with the Philippine version.

“Politics here in the US is different from the Philippines. From my observation, they do what they promise, at least most of it. Like Trump — when he first got elected, he immediately worked on tax reform,” he said.

One of Trump’s signature policies was the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which lowered the corporate tax rate and provided temporary reductions to the individual income tax.

During the recent campaign, Trump proposed additional tax cuts and advocated for eliminating the tax on tips and overtime pay, as well as reversing restrictions on state and local tax deductions.

Trump’s tax reform is one of the changes Lean is looking forward to.

“Almost half of my pay goes to taxes. In a month I earn $14,000 to $15,000 and around $8,000 to $9,000 goes straight to taxes. Can you imagine, in pesos, I pay P500,000 a month in taxes?” he said.

He said if Trump goes ahead with his proposed tax reforms, his take-home pay could increase by nearly $6,000, a significant boost, especially given the current inflation in the US.

“That’s a lot of money,” Cunanan said.

Pros, cons

While the Filipino nurse supports Trump’s focus on economic reforms, he acknowledges the drawbacks of his other policies.

“The downside is his approach to immigration reform,” he said. “There are concerns about ethics and human rights violations, and it might spark racial tension between whites, blacks, Asians and Latinos.”

He stressed the US should be a nation for all, with no race or ethnicity claiming exclusive ownership.

He pointed to the irony in the demographics of North America: “Native Americans are the true ancestors of the US, but Europeans came and conquered the land. That’s why white people dominate North America today. Even in Canada, French is one of the main languages.”

Lean further drew a parallel between Trump’s support base and the current political climate.

“Trump’s core supporters are primarily older, white Americans, much like how President Marcos is favored by the older generation in the Philippines,” Cunanan noted.

“In contrast, Kamala Harris appeals more to younger, educated voters, particularly in swing states with a large number of universities.”

Economic priorities

Lean also noted the difference in the priorities of Trump and President Joe Biden, particularly when it came to spending.

“Biden has spent so much on wars, while Trump plans to stop that. Billions of dollars go into wars —sending troops, buying weapons. Trump would rather spend that money here in the US,” he explained.

This view aligns with Trump’s America First agenda, which seeks to prioritize American economic interests and reduce US involvement in foreign military conflicts.

With his background in business, Trump took a direct approach to challenge the longstanding American foreign policy of global leadership and military presence abroad.

However, Lean acknowledged the profound consequences of such a shift.

“The downside is that if the US reduces its military presence, countries like China and Russia might see America as weak. That could spark conflict. That’s why Biden and Kamala (Harris) want to maintain the US as a global military power. They want America to stay on top, whether it’s in disputes with China or through alliances like the one with the Philippines.”

Despite Trump’s promising agenda, Lean believes the US must find a balance between investing in its future and maintaining its strength on the global stage.