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Democratic candidate Beto O’Rourke is proposing a “war tax” to help U.S. veterans returning from conflict.
The former Texas congressman has proposed a plan to expand services for military veterans. If elected, O’Rourke will push Congress to enact a law that collects a “war tax” at the beginning of future wars to help benefit veterans’ health care.
The tax would only be collected from households without military members or veterans. Taxpayers would pay depending on their income. For example, households with adjusted gross incomes below $30,000 would only pay $25, while households with incomes above $200,000 per year would pay $1,000.
These funds would be placed into a trust fund, and proceeds would be specifically to care for veterans of the conflict.
On top of the war tax proposal, O’Rourke is also calling for a stop to the “endless war” in Afghanistan and Iraq. O’Rourke says that redirecting money from those conflicts could save $400 billion, some of which he says he would urge Congress to invest in veterans and their health care.
O’Rourke is in Tampa, Florida for a veteran’s roundtable on Monday evening, where he is expected to discuss his recently unveiled plan for the first time.
