US HOUSE SPEAKER Paul Ryan deleted a tweet where he hailed a school secretary saving $1.50 per week because of the Republican tax cut.
The Associated Press reported on Thursday that changes in tax obligations were sparking bigger paychecks.
It cited as one example Julia Ketchum of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, whose wages went up $1.50 a week, or $78 per year.
Yesterday, Ryan posted a Tweet noting the secretary’s increase and linking to the AP story.
He faced significant criticism following the tweet and later deleted it.
He has posted several other examples of worker pay increases and bonuses since the overhaul, some as much as $1,000.
It’s been estimated that the richest Americans could save over $50,000 per year.
The Republican tax overhaul has been criticised for being weighted to give a greater percentage saving to wealthy individuals.
The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimates that about 80% of US households will get a tax cut, with about 15% seeing little change and 5% paying more.
Middle-class households — defined as those making between roughly $49,000 and $86,000 a year — will see their tax bills drop by about $930, the Tax Policy Center calculates.
The richest 1%, meanwhile, will save $51,140, lifting their after-tax incomes by 3.4%, or more than twice as much as the middle class.
Ryan’s spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on his tweet.
- With reporting by Associated Press
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