LETTER: “No taxes on tip” ploy unfair to other workers

In an obvious but misguided ploy to reach out to workers who depend primarily on tips as their main source of income, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have promised “no taxes on your tips.” This seems like a great deal for those whose main source of income is the tips they earn. Their salaries are a pittance in comparison, so who would not jump for joy at this deal?

I’ll tell you who: Those who do not work for tips and receive just a paycheck every two weeks, like those in retail stores, HVAC technicians, clerical people, supermarket workers and a whole bevy of other workers who get a paycheck only. They have to be thinking: “Why will these other people be paying no taxes on up to 75 percent of their earnings, while we are getting taxed on our whole paycheck?” This does not compute at all.

I know of two old friends who worked in gaming before the IRS started collecting taxes on tips many years ago. After the rules changed, the IRS incessantly hounded them for back taxes for years to the point where both were sufficiently miserable and despondent enough over the harassment to take their own lives. Now Mr. Trump wants to give all these people a break. This is really quite unfair, unbalanced and totally disrespectful toward the memories of my two friends.