Beto O'Rourke calls for 'war tax' on every new US conflict to pay for veterans' care

Beto O’Rourke has called for Congress to put in place a “war tax” for non-military households whenever the US enters a conflict as part of sweeping proposals to help expand provisions for veterans.

Mr O’Rourke, a Democrat presidential candidate, has said he wants Congress to create a new trust fund for healthcare for veterans at the outset of every new war, linked to the “war tax”.

The tax would be levied on a progressive basis. Households making less than $30,000 (£23,600) per year would pay $25; those making less than $40,000 would pay $57; those making less than $50,000 would pay $98; those making less than $75,000 would pay $164; those making less than $100,000 would pay $270; those making less than $200,000 would pay $485; and those making more than $200,000 would pay $1,000.

“This new tax would serve as a reminder of the incredible sacrifice made by those who serve and their families,” Mr O’Rourke’s plan said, without offering any indication of the scale of the conflict required for the tax to kick in..

Mr O’Rouke, who frequently pushed for better treatment of veterans during his time as a Texas representative in Congress, has said that now is the time to end the “forever wars” in Iraq and Afghanistan. He wants half of the money saved, $200bn out of an estimated $400bn total cost, to be directed to programmes that benefit veterans.

“We must be willing to pay any price, and bear any burden, to provide the full care, support, and resources to every single veteran who served every single one of us,” Mr O’Rourke said in a statement. “Eighteen years into the war in Afghanistan, and nearly three decades after our first engagement in Iraq, the best way to honour our veterans’ service is to cancel the blank check for endless war — and reinvest the savings to ensure every American can thrive upon their return home.”

Mr O’Rourke, whose former congressional district includes the US Army post Fort Bliss which has expanded over the past decade, has pledged to pardon veterans discharged and denied benefits for conduct stemming from post-traumatic stress or other service-related health problems.

Donald Trump has touted his success with veterans, and has sought to increase spending on healthcare, but veterans’ groups have said it is not enough. The military has about 1.36 million active-duty members out of a total US population of around 327 million people.

Mr O’Rourke has previously pledged to reverse Mr Trump’s restrictions on transgender people serving in the military and is also proposing military service as a pathway to citizenship. He would also allow veterans who have been deported to return to the United States with the benefits of citizenship.

The former Texas congressman is attending a veterans’ round table meeting in Tampa, Florida later on Monday, ahead of the first Democratic presidential debate in Miami on Wednesday. Mr O’Rourke is currently attracting about 4 per cent of the vote nationally in the Democrat primary contest

A “war tax” is not a new policy, Congress approved a surcharge on personal and corporate income taxes during the Vietnam War and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, another Democrat 2020 candidate, has supported such a tax in the past.