Former President Donald Trump announced a new economic proposal banning any taxes on overtime pay for people who work more than 40 hours per week during a Tuscon, Arizona, rally Thursday evening.
“I’m also announcing that as part of our additional tax cuts, we will end all taxes on overtime,” he said in his appearance in the battleground state. “That gives people more of an incentive to work.”
“The people who work overtime are among the hardest working citizens in our country, and for too long, no one in Washington has been looking out for them,” Trump continued. “It’s time for the working man and woman to finally catch a break, and that’s what we’re doing because this is a good one. And I think it’s going to be great for the country.”
This latest proposal builds on his previous economic efforts to win the public over in his battle against Vice President Kamala Harris. He did not offer details on how he would garner congressional support for the legislation or how the plan would be implemented.
Before Thursday, the former president had endorsed ending taxes on tips and on Social Security benefits, an effort that appeals both to restaurant workers in crucial swing states such as Nevada, a state that has a sizable restaurant worker population, and to senior citizens, who are far more likely to vote than younger voters.
Trump has repeatedly blasted Harris for copying portions of his economic plan, particularly the banning of taxes on tips, which the vice president subsequently embraced.
During the Tuesday debate between the two candidates, Harris slammed Trump over his handling of the economy while in office. Trump claimed that Harris and President Joe Biden’s leadership over the last three years has led to inflation and high grocery prices, hurting families.
His endorsement of no taxation on overtime is likely a bid to appeal to voters unhappy with how expensive everyday items have become and with their shrinking pay stubs since he left office.
“That’s why we will be saying that if you’re an overtime worker, when you’re past 40 hours a week —think of that — your overtime hours will be tax free,” Trump said to applause from the audience. “OK, good. You’re gonna have it.”
The former president and Harris faced off on the debate stage Tuesday evening, and both candidates held their first public rallies following the debate. Harris appeared in Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday afternoon and evening.
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The debate will likely be the only one where they meet onstage after Trump declared Thursday he would not participate in another matchup.
“She was a no-show at the Fox debate, and refused to do NBC and CBS,” he wrote on Truth Social. “KAMALA SHOULD FOCUS ON WHAT SHE SHOULD HAVE DONE DURING THE LAST ALMOST FOUR YEAR PERIOD. THERE WILL BE NO THIRD DEBATE!”
