Town Fears G.O.P. Tax Plan Will Erode Its Egalitarian Pillars<br />“Our biggest concern is the marginalization of safety net support programs for families,” she said, adding<br />that food and housing for the needy might be compromised “because less money will be trickling down from the federal government after the massive tax cut.”<br />At Bridges to Housing Stability, another nonprofit organization in Columbia, the case workers help<br />low-income families find affordable housing while assisting others who are at risk of eviction.<br />“I am grateful for the food bank.”<br />But Bita Dayhoff, president of the nonprofit Community Action Council of Howard County — which runs the food bank — is worried<br />that the tax bill will indirectly strain her group and others like it.<br />State governments may raise taxes to fill in the gaps, but<br />that becomes even more burdensome for taxpayers — especially for many who itemize their tax returns — because the deductibility of state and local income taxes would be capped.<br />Kelly McLaughlin, executive director at Bridges, said<br />that although the child tax credit might help some of their clients in the short term, she was more worried about how the bill could impact Bridges’ funding, the majority of which comes from state and county grants, which flow from the federal government.<br />She had personal concerns — including the curtailed tax break on state and local taxes —<br />but she was more upset about how it would hurt middle- and lower-income families and the fraying safety net.
