Portman touts final GOP tax proposal

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate has voted down an amendment from U.S. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, which his office says would have targeted tax breaks at companies who keep jobs in the United States.

Brown had introduced the Patriotic Employers Tax Credits, which he said would give tax cuts only to companies that kept jobs in the country, rather than outsourcing overseas.

“If we are going to give tax cuts to corporations, let’s focus those tax cuts on employers that keep jobs in the U.S. and invest in American workers with the Patriot Corporation Act,” Brown said. “This is something we should all come together to support: tax cuts for businesses that create and support good-paying American jobs.”

Brown’s proposal was voted down in the chamber, which is controlled by a Republican majority. Brown had taken part in a meeting at the White House on tax reform earlier this year.

He said President Donald Trump had expressed interest in his proposal, and the senator hoped it would be included in final legislation.

Meanwhile, Ohio’s Republican U.S. senator, Rob Portman, spoke on the Senate floor in support of his parties larger tax legislation.

Portman said the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act would aid the middle class and help create jobs and raise wages. He said the legislation would save the typical Ohio family $2,375 annually on their tax bill.

Portman said the legislation would double the standard deduction for families from about $12,000 to $24,000, double the child tax credit and lower tax rates for middle class families.

Portman has hosted six roundtables on tax legislation in Ohio.

“Every American, including the middle class, will benefit from the economic growth and job creation this bill will produce,” his office said in a news release.

Brown has signaled his opposition the Republican proposal, referring to it as “trickle down economics.”