Many people with disabilities in Michigan rely on Social Security benefits to make ends meet. Without these benefits, they would not be able to clothe and feed themselves, or pay for medical care. Some people may even rely on these benefits to take care of dependents for whom they are responsible. Unfortunately, the Social Security fund is running out.
According to CNN, if the Social Security Administration does not reduce benefits by 21% the money could all be gone by 2034. When this happens, the fund may continue to receive income from taxes paid by working Americans. Still, the SSA would only be able to pay 79% of benefits to the disabled and retirees. Another concern is that those working and funding the benefits during this time may not have access to the funds by the time they retire or if they become disabled.
After several warnings from financial experts and politicians, Congress is about to take action. Democrats, who are now in control of the House, believe that rather than reduce promised benefits to the people who need it, Americans need to funnel more money into Social Security benefits. To do this, they propose a gradual increase for the SS tax rate for wealthy individuals who make more than $400,000 per year.
Currently, any earnings over $132,900 are not subject to SS taxes. Coupled with the fact that salaries for America’s highest-paid workers outpaced the average wage, this presents a funding problem. How so? The SS wage cap puts 83% of American salaries outside of the Social Security tax reach.
Closing this gap in even small increments could extend the SS’s solvency for another 75 years. This, in turn, would protect many Americans who need SS benefits. However, these policies may also face a lot of backlash from the people who would now pay higher taxes, which ironically, may include quite a few politicians.
