No. 1211 Income Redistribution Policy of Biden Administration
The US government led by President Joe Biden marked the 100th day April 28 from its inauguration. President delivered a policy speech for the first time. He mentioned on the steps to commit in the pandemic, climate change and etc., including domestic and foreign affairs. The most remarkable was his economic policy to correct social inequalities.
POLICY TO CORRECT INEQUALITIES IS MOST REMARKABLE
President Biden, firstly, proudly stated that he had send relief checks amounting, in maximum, $1,400 per person to 85% of households in the American Rescue Plan ($1.9 trillion) which was launched last March. Secondly, he boasted of massively producing new jobs in the framework of the American Jobs Plan, saying it as a blue-collar blueprint to build America ($2 trillion in eight years).
Increasing taxes for the rich and big business
President emphasized the Buy American (to purchase products made in USA), and proposed extending aid to labor unions and implementing policies to surge the minimum wage to $15 per hour and to pay equally to men and women. And finally he explained about the American Families Plan ($1.8 trillion in 10 years), compiled just on the previous day. He pointed out (1) access to a good education, (2) access to affordable child care services, (3) workers have paid-leave for family and medical affairs, and (4) tax exemption for child-caring families. He raised proposals and pledged to accomplish them.
As for an economic policy for the immediate future, he told to heighten taxes for the rich and business entities. Meanwhile, he told that he would not impose increased taxes on the people whose income is less than $400 thousand per annum. He was to get back the tax rates for the wealthiest 1% up to those in the era when George W. Bush was President. He said that it was not right for companies to evade taxes through tax havens and proposed to reform corporate taxes. He stressed that trickle-down economics had never worked, refuting the tax reduction policy of ex-President Trump.
According to the opinion poll surveyed by Reuters on the following day, as high as 73% of the respondents supported Mr. Biden in terms of his economic policy. The financial circle and the conservatives in the Republican Party have begun opposing to the Biden team and so it is not easy for these policies to be approved in the congress. In the Senate in particular, where seats of the Democrats and Republicans are identical, legislation will not be possible when someone gets away from the party’s line. It is essential to stage mass movements outside the congress to be led by Senator Sanders and groups affiliated to the DSA, Democratic Socialists of America.
World is changing
Now let’s look at Japan. Constitutional opposition parties, who must be united on a policy to rectify inequalities, cannot get together.
Over the income redistribution policy the Biden government launches, the left-liberal camp here does not appreciate in loud voice, which maybe comes from the prolonged cautious attitudes to the US administrations. However, the world is changing. The UK government, too, has announced a policy to hike the corporate tax for Big Business to 25% from the current 19% in two years.
Here in Japan, too, it is crucial to organize common struggles of the opposition political parties, civic groups and trade unions.
演説はまず３月に実施した米国救済計画（１.９兆ドル）が、８５％の世帯に１人当たり最大１４００ドルの救済給付金を送付したと誇る。次いで３月末に発表した「米国雇用計画」（８年で２兆ドル）を「ブルーカラーのための青写真」とし、良質な雇用を大量に生み出すとした。
併せて「バイ・アメリカン（米国製品の購入）」、労働組合への支援、最低賃金1５ドルヘの引上げ、男女同一賃金の実現を訴えた。最後に前日まとめたばかりの「米国家族計画」（ １０年で１.８兆ドル）では、①教育支援②育児サービスの改善③有給の家族・医療休暇付与④子ども税控除を提案、或いはその実現を誇った。
そして今後の経済政策では、富裕層と企業への増税を同時に進めるとした。
バイデン氏は「年収４０万ドル未満の人には増税しない。最上位１％の富裕層への最高税率を父ブッシュ大統領誕生時のものに戻す。企業の租税回避を許さず、法人税を改革する」とし、「トリクルダウン理論は機能しなかった」と断じ、トランプ前政権の減税路線を否定した。
翌日発表されたロイター等による世論調査では、バイデン氏の経済政策を支持するとの回答は７３％に達したという。ただ、財界や共和党の保守層は既に抵抗を始めており、バイデン氏の経済政策が無傷で議会を通過するのは容易でない。
特に議員数が民主、共和同一の上院で、身内から離反者が出れば通過しない。それを突破するには、サンダース上院議員や、「アメリカ民主社会主義者党」（ＤＳＡ）の支持グループを中心とした院外の大衆闘争の展開が不可欠だ。
翻って日本。格差是正では方向性が一致するはずの立憲野党の足並みがなかなか揃わないのは、どうしたことか。
バイデン政権の打ち出した再配分強化策に対しても、長年の米国への警戒感のなせる業か、日本の左翼リベラルから素直な賛同の声が上がらない。しかし、世界の潮目は変わりつつある。英国も３月、大企業向けの法人税率を現在の１９％から２５％へと２年後に引き上げる方針を発表している。
日本でも野党と市民、労働組合で、院内外での運動が強く求められる。
英訳版↓
No. 1211 Income Redistribution Policy of Biden Administration
The US government led by President Joe Biden marked the 100th day April 28 from its inauguration. President delivered a policy speech for the first time. He mentioned on the steps to commit in the pandemic, climate change and etc., including domestic and foreign affairs. The most remarkable was his economic policy to correct social inequalities.
POLICY TO CORRECT INEQUALITIES IS MOST REMARKABLE
President Biden, firstly, proudly stated that he had send relief checks amounting, in maximum, $1,400 per person to 85% of households in the American Rescue Plan ($1.9 trillion) which was launched last March. Secondly, he boasted of massively producing new jobs in the framework of the American Jobs Plan, saying it as a blue-collar blueprint to build America ($2 trillion in eight years).
Increasing taxes for the rich and big business
President emphasized the Buy American (to purchase products made in USA), and proposed extending aid to labor unions and implementing policies to surge the minimum wage to $15 per hour and to pay equally to men and women. And finally he explained about the American Families Plan ($1.8 trillion in 10 years), compiled just on the previous day. He pointed out (1) access to a good education, (2) access to affordable child care services, (3) workers have paid-leave for family and medical affairs, and (4) tax exemption for child-caring families. He raised proposals and pledged to accomplish them.
As for an economic policy for the immediate future, he told to heighten taxes for the rich and business entities. Meanwhile, he told that he would not impose increased taxes on the people whose income is less than $400 thousand per annum. He was to get back the tax rates for the wealthiest 1% up to those in the era when George W. Bush was President. He said that it was not right for companies to evade taxes through tax havens and proposed to reform corporate taxes. He stressed that trickle-down economics had never worked, refuting the tax reduction policy of ex-President Trump.
According to the opinion poll surveyed by Reuters on the following day, as high as 73% of the respondents supported Mr. Biden in terms of his economic policy. The financial circle and the conservatives in the Republican Party have begun opposing to the Biden team and so it is not easy for these policies to be approved in the congress. In the Senate in particular, where seats of the Democrats and Republicans are identical, legislation will not be possible when someone gets away from the party’s line. It is essential to stage mass movements outside the congress to be led by Senator Sanders and groups affiliated to the DSA, Democratic Socialists of America.
World is changing
Now let’s look at Japan. Constitutional opposition parties, who must be united on a policy to rectify inequalities, cannot get together.
Over the income redistribution policy the Biden government launches, the left-liberal camp here does not appreciate in loud voice, which maybe comes from the prolonged cautious attitudes to the US administrations. However, the world is changing. The UK government, too, has announced a policy to hike the corporate tax for Big Business to 25% from the current 19% in two years.
Here in Japan, too, it is crucial to organize common struggles of the opposition political parties, civic groups and trade unions.
May 25, 2021