Op-Ed: Let Workers Keep Their Tips – and Their Dignity

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” moving through Congress may be the most important legislation working Americans have seen in years. It doesn’t just cut taxes. It respects the people who make the country run.

At the center of the bill is a simple principle: If you work hard, you should keep more of what you earn.

The legislation locks in the 2017 tax cuts, shielding families from a looming 22 percent tax hike. That translates to about $1,700 back in the pockets of the average household — roughly nine weeks of groceries.

For a median-income family with two kids, take-home pay could rise by $4,000 to $5,000 per year. Wages across the board are expected to grow by $2,100 to $3,300 per worker.

That’s the difference between getting by and getting ahead.

Just as important, the bill ends federal income taxes on tips and overtime pay. For millions of Americans, this relief is long overdue.

A restaurant worker earning $150 in tips per night could keep thousands more annually under the new rules. That’s rent, car repairs, or college savings — without adding a single dollar to federal spending.

This is common-sense reform for the modern workforce. And it’s especially meaningful for the Hispanic community, which comprises nearly one in four restaurant workers nationwide.

Across the country, Hispanic Americans play an outsized role in the food service economy — not just in kitchens and front-of-house positions, but increasingly as owners and operators. These jobs are often the first rung on the ladder of upward mobility. Eliminating the tax on tips helps make that climb a little more possible.

But the impact goes far beyond any one group. Every community in America has people hustling long hours in the service industry, relying on variable pay to support their families. They’ve been taxed as if their income were stable, when it’s anything but. This bill finally fixes that.

The legislation also supports small businesses — the lifeblood of American communities. It makes permanent the 199A small business deduction, restores 100 percent expensing for equipment and factory improvements, and repeals burdensome gig economy reporting rules.

These changes are expected to create more than a million new Main Street jobs and spur $750 billion in economic growth.

Whether you run a landscaping company in Nevada, a food truck in Texas, or a neighborhood print shop in Pennsylvania, this bill says: “You matter. You’re not just a statistic in someone else’s spreadsheet. You’re part of what keeps the American economy vibrant and rooted.”

For families, the bill strengthens the child tax credit, expands access to health savings accounts, and makes the paid leave tax credit permanent. Parents can use 529 accounts for everything from trade credentials to K-12 materials. New savings accounts created at birth will help families start planning for their children’s future early — especially critical as the cost of living continues to climb.

But the bill also says something important about fairness.

For too long, elite institutions have gamed the system. Wealthy universities with endowments larger than some national economies — Harvard, Yale, Stanford — have paid a fraction of what they should in taxes. This legislation changes that. It raises the endowment tax and treats these mega-endowments more like the investment vehicles they’ve become.

It also eliminates tax breaks for billionaire sports team owners, reins in nonprofits that act like hedge funds, and stops taxpayer-funded benefits from going to illegal immigrants.

These are the kinds of reforms that restore trust. People are tired of being told there’s no money for tax relief while insiders keep cashing in.

The criticism from Washington insiders is predictable. They say the bill tries to do too much. But after years of economic drift — rising prices, shrinking paychecks, and endless red tape — it’s not ambition that’s the problem. It’s the lack of urgency in addressing the real challenges families face.

The One Big Beautiful Bill doesn’t promise to fix everything. But it moves in the right direction.

It gives working people — especially those who clock in early, stay late, and rely on every dollar — a fairer shot. It tells small businesses they can plan for the future instead of scrambling just to survive.

This isn’t a bill for lobbyists, legacy institutions, or tax attorneys. It’s for the bartender in Milwaukee. The roofer in McAllen. The young family in Miami, trying to build something better.

And for the Hispanic dishwasher saving for his own restaurant, it’s a sign that maybe Washington hasn’t forgotten who America is built for.

The views expressed in this opinion article are those of their author and are not necessarily either d or endorsed by the owners of this website. If you are interested in contributing an Op-Ed to The Western Journal, you can learn about our submission guidelines and process here.

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