D.C. Council Votes to Cut Income Taxes for Middle and Wealthier Classes Starting in Sept.

The D.C. Council voted to cut income taxes for middle-class and wealthier residents starting in September.

Mayor Muriel Bowser was pushing to delay the tax cuts until next year, and six of the 13 council members voted Tuesday to do that. But Council Chairman Phil Mendelson says there was no reason to delay the cuts and no specific plan to spend the savings from that move.

The cuts were recommended by an independent commission and approved unanimously by the council last year. The only question was when they would take effect.

But Councilmember Mary Cheh says she suspects her colleagues who wanted to delay the cuts actually wanted to eliminate them altogether. Some advocates for the poor and homeless who attended Tuesday's meeting said that was their goal.