President Joe Biden announced Friday the tax increases that would result from his $2 trillion infrastructure plan would impact some taxpayers who earn $200,000, the New York Post reported.
Biden had prevously claimed his tax increase would not apply to any taxpayer who earns less than $400,000 and files individually. However, in mid-March, White House press secretary Jen Psaki publicly acknowledged the $400,000 threshold for tax increases applies to “families” rather than individuals, according to the New York Post. (RELATED: KOLB: Biden’s Last ‘Infrastructure’ Bill Didn’t Work Out Well. Can He Make It Work This Time?)
For example, if an American who earns $200,000 per year is married to someone who also makes that amount or more, and they file taxes jointly — not married and separate — then that “family” could see an increase in taxes under the Biden administration.
Biden: “No one making under $400,000 will see their federal taxes go up. Period.”pic.twitter.com/ps7syHNHro
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) March 31, 2021
Although this is not an outright lie from the administration, then-candidate Biden never made the distinction between taxpayers who file as individuals and married Americans who file jointly as a “family,” and how that affects the income threshold.
As far back as May of 2020, Biden misled the public about the potential tax increase. “Nobody making under 400,000 bucks would have their taxes raised. Period. Bingo,” Biden said on May 22, 2020, failing to make the distinction.
During the vice presidential debate with Mike Pence, then-California Sen. Kamala Harris also glossed over the distinction.
“Joe Biden has been very clear. He will not raise taxes on anybody who makes less than $400,000 a year,” Harris said.
The claim also appears on Biden’s presidential campaign website, which is still running as of early April 2021.
“He won’t ask a single person making under $400,000 per year to pay a penny more in taxes,” the website states.