USA After Trump proposal: Harris wants to abolish tip tax

Two months after a corresponding proposal by Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump, Democrat Kamala Harris now also wants to abolish the tax on tips in the US after winning the election.

The presidential candidate made the promise at a campaign event in Las Vegas.

A particularly large number of people work in the hotel and catering industry in the desert city due to legalized gambling. They are often paid the rather low minimum wage, which is why many employees rely on tips. The minimum wage is set by the federal states.

"And it's my promise to everyone here: When I'm president, I will continue the fight for America's working families, including raising the minimum wage and eliminating taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers," the vice president told thousands of supporters.

Trump had proposed the abolition of the tip tax around two months ago in Las Vegas and had met with a good response in the embattled state of Nevada. Now his opponent seems to want to take the wind out of his sails with this popular demand - Trump reacts promptly.

Harris had "copied" his proposal, he wrote on the Truth Social platform, which he co-founded, and expressed doubts as to whether the Democrat was serious. "The difference is that she won't do it, she only wants to do it for political reasons," he wrote. "That was a Trump idea." Harris has no ideas of her own and can only "steal" from him, he complained. The Republican candidate for Vice President, J.D. Vance, followed up on Platform X by asking why the Vice President was not already implementing the plan now, given that she was part of the government.

The government cannot change the taxation of tips on its own: It would need legislation from the legislature to do so.

The state of Nevada, in which Las Vegas is located, is a so-called "swing state": it cannot be firmly attributed to either the Democrats or the Republicans, which is why the candidates of both parties are campaigning intensively for votes there.