Today, Joint Economic Committee Democrats launched the fifth episode of “Opportunity Agenda,” a podcast that furthers the conversation on how to build an economic future where all American families have a fair shot at getting ahead. Episode 5, “Examining the GOP Tax Scam on Tax Day,” includes a discussion of how the Republican tax law disproportionately benefits executives and wealthy shareholders instead of helping those most in need.

“There’s no question that families across the country desperately need a raise. After adjusting for inflation, the average worker’s wages have grown by only 6 percent over the past 35 years.,” said Senator Heinrich (D-N.M), Ranking Member of the Joint Economic Committee in the podcast. “But the ones who are getting most of the benefits from the tax law are corporate executives and wealthy shareholders. Companies are spending about 30 times as much on stock buybacks as worker bonuses or wage increases.”

The episode features Mark Mazur, Robert C. Pozen Director of the Tax Policy Center. In the episode, Mazur highlights that the Republican tax law is in fact designed for higher income households. Coupled with the surge of corporate stock buybacks, Mazur elaborates that this law will benefit the wealthy more than the working Americans who need the break. He goes on to bust the myth of trickle-down economics, and argues that if it hasn’t worked in the past, it certainly won’t work now.

Missed episodes 1-4? Catch up on iTunes or on our website. To listen to this episode on our website, click here. To subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, click here.

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For more information, please contact Latoya Veal at Latoya_Veal@jec.senate.gov or 202-224-0379.