Keep the Information Flowing
Small contributions go a long way. Your donation to Consumer Action, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, can help us cover the cost of research, writing, and translation of our materials. To keep our services free for those who need them. Select an amount to give.
Released: July 13, 2011
Budget solution: Squeeze the middle
Source: Sara Murray, Wall Street Journal (Paid Registration)
Like many in this middle-class suburb, Chad Flexon sees the efforts of Washington politicians to cut the budget deficit as far removed from his life. "I can't see myself, being where I am, being that greatly affected by anything that gets passed," says Mr. Flexon, a 26-year-old teacher who, with his wife, a store merchandise coordinator, earned well under $100,000 last year. Yet the Flexons, like most middle-class Americans, benefit from the kinds of federal tax and spending programs now under scrutiny. A home-buyer tax credit helped them buy a townhouse in 2009, with its down payment held low by a federal mortgage-insurance program. Their federal income-tax tab last year was reduced through $12,800 in deductions for student-loan interest, medical expenses and mortgage interest.Read Full Article: Budget solution: Squeeze the middle
Quick Menu
Support Consumer Action
Join Our Email List
Consumer Help Desk
- Help Desk
- Submit Your Complaints
- Presente su queja
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Links to Consumer Resources
- Consumer Service Guide (CSG)
- Alerts
- Consumer Booknotes