Raleigh – Senator Tillis voted for a corporate tax giveaway in 2017 that was chock full of harmful unintended consequences, including “steep hikes for some Gold Star families” that forced some families to pay thousands of dollars more in taxes on their survivor benefits – yet another example of Tillis’ turning his back on North Carolina’s military families.

As we continue to look back at the sacrifices our veterans have made for North Carolina this week, Senator Tillis’ record reveals a senator willing to put his reelection chances before military communities – from enabling an $80 million raid on our military bases and skipping a Veterans’ Affairs hearing for a political fundraiser to fundraising with predatory lenders that target servicemembers and taxing Gold Star families.

The 2017 Republican tax law increased taxes for children in Gold Star families, taxing benefits related to a parent’s death at a much higher rate as though the benefits were proceeds from a trust fund. Last spring, one Gold Star widow was “shocked” by “an unexpected surprise” on new taxes on her sons’ survivor benefits.

Tillis didn’t join the bipartisan coalition in the U.S. Senate trying to solve this problem until after Democrats held him accountable for failing to work to fix this costly mess that he helped create for so many Gold Star families.

Read more about Tillis’ support for “steep hikes” for Gold Star families:

• CBS News: Gold Star widow “shocked” by new tax bill on sons’ survivor benefits

• CNN: Tax overhaul means some Gold Star families paying much higher taxes on survivor benefits

• Washington Examiner: Provision of GOP overhaul is creating big tax hikes for Gold Star families