Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Schools Former GOP Governor On Marginal Tax Analogy
You’d think former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker would understand tax policy.
Of course, you’d also think he’d know better than try to beat freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Twitter.
Walker failed on both counts Tuesday when he tweeted a smarmy attempt to criticize the congresswoman’s proposal for a 70 percent marginal tax rate on annual earnings above $10 million to fund a Green New Deal and fight climate change.
Under her plan, the majority of Americans, who don’t earn that much, would pay a much lower share of their income, and the average tax rate for working Americans could go down.
But not the way Walker explained it.
Explaining tax rates before Reagan to 5th graders: “Imagine if you did chores for your grandma and she gave you $10. When you got home, your parents took $7 from you.” The students said: “That’s not fair!” Even 5th graders get it.
— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) January 15, 2019
Luckily, Ocasio-Cortez sprang into action, schooling the recently ousted governor that his analogy was completely wrong and proving that her Twitter game remains supreme.
Explaining marginal taxes to a far-right former Governor:
Imagine if you did chores for abuela & she gave you $10. When you got home, you got to keep it, because it’s only $10.
Then we taxed the billionaire in town because he’s making tons of money underpaying the townspeople. https://t.co/Wcnn2sEgek— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 15, 2019
Twitter users were happy to pile on the governor, who, as one of his last duties in office, signed legislation that stripped power from his Democratic successor and gave it to the Republican-controlled state legislature.
Did you tell them about how you lost the election but tried to strip the incoming governor of his power or did you leave that out?
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) January 15, 2019
I don’t know which is worse — that Walker doesn’t understand marginal tax rates OR he is outright lying to 5th graders. So depressing.
— Jane (@janiereplicant) January 15, 2019
Pitching “Are You Less Honest Than a Fifth-Grader”.
— Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) January 15, 2019
poor Scott Walker. All he wanted to do was lie to children and brag about it without consequences.
— Choz (@Chozraham) January 15, 2019
... and after taking that $7 from their 10 million and 10 dollar earnings, that $7 was used to feed the poor and give healthcare to the elderly and disabled and fund national defense. How could we ask that poor millionaire child to do such a thing.
— Hermione Danger (@linda8675) January 15, 2019
One person did a different kind of thought experiment that alluded to allegations that before he became president, Donald Trump set up a fake corporation to disguise millions of dollars in gifts from his parents to avoid taxes.
Imagine if you did chores for your dad and he paid you millions of dollars through a series of shell corporations in an illegal scheme to avoid taxes....
— Geoff Smith (@HappyFunNorm) January 15, 2019
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.