The Trump-Republican tax scam continued to rear its ugly head for the third straight week as figures released late Friday show that the typical tax refund was hundreds of dollars less than the same time period in 2018.

According to IRS data, the average tax refund is down hundreds of dollars since last year, from $3,256 in 2018 to $2,703 this year. 

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The average tax refund issued so far this year is down by 17 percent, the IRS said, a steep decline that promises more headaches for Republican lawmakers.

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The agency released data late Friday showing refunds are down for the third consecutive week, with the typical payment made through Feb. 15 totaling $2,703, compared to $3,256 during the same period last year.

This filing season is the first under Republicans’ overhaul of the tax code, and lawmakers have already been under fire as some taxpayers find their expected refunds smaller or gone altogether. The payments are sacrosanct to many Americans who rely on them to fill holes in their budgets.

Republicans are struggling to defend themselves

Fresh off the Trump-GOP shutdown in which hundreds of thousands of workers struggled without a paycheck, millions more now face the possibility of a smaller tax refund – or none altogether.

As I noted earlier this month, millions of Americans – many of them living in blue states – will actually be getting a bill from the IRS, not a refund.

All of this has put Donald Trump and his Republicans loyalists in Congress on the defensive. One of their latest strategies is to blame the American people for the tax woes that were created by the president and GOP lawmakers.

The Republican tax scheme meant to benefit the wealthiest individuals and corporations was always unpopular. But as more Americans feel its impact, it will become impossible for the GOP to defend.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.