LAS VEGAS: US Vice President Kamala Harris told supporters in Nevada on Saturday she supported eliminating taxes on tips, taking a similar position to her rival Donald Trump in an effort to win over service workers, an important constituency in the state.

Harris and her Democratic running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, wrapped up a multi-day tour of battleground states on Saturday with their stop in Nevada, a western state that could play a pivotal role in the November 5 presidential election.

“It is my promise to everyone here when I am president we will continue to fight for working families, including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers,” Harris said.

Harris said she would work to drive down consumer prices, vowing to “take on big corporations that engage in illegal price-gouging” and corporate landlords that unfairly raise rents on working families, as well as going after big pharmaceutical companies to drive drug prices lower.

Trump, who told a rally in Las Vegas in June that he would seek to end taxation of income from tips, accused Harris of stealing his policy proposal.

“Kamala Harris, whose ‘Honeymoon’ period is ENDING… just copied my NO TAXES ON TIPS Policy,” Trump said on his Truth Social app. “The difference is, she won’t do it, she just wants it for Political Purposes!”

A Harris campaign official said her proposal would require legislation to be passed by Congress. “As president, she would work with Congress to craft a proposal that comes with an income limit and with strict requirements to prevent hedge fund managers and lawyers from structuring their compensation in ways to try to take advantage of the policy,” the official said.

Harris, who officially became the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee this week, has been campaigning with Walz in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Arizona, all states that traditionally swing between supporting Republicans and Democrats in presidential elections.

To become president, a candidate need not win the national popular vote but must win 270 electoral votes. Each state has a number of electoral votes based on its population, making the swing states especially important.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2024