re: TARIFFS - they're doing precisely what they were intended to do!!

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I do not see it at all. Heck, just buy American made it you feel you are being gouged by the Chinese

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Like dis?

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These sky-high border taxes have caused U.S. aluminum and steel prices to soar. The price premium for U.S. aluminum over the global benchmark has increased five-fold since Mr. Trump took office a second time. Americans are now paying roughly 75% more for aluminum than the rest of the world. Steel prices in the U.S. are also about 64% higher than in northern Europe. One reason these differential are larger than 50% is because the metal tariffs are stacked on top of other tariffs on China, which is the world’s largest producer of steel and aluminum.

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That decline was real sharp from 2021 - 2024.

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Again, if not, what were the refunds for?

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Money paid to the government. That does not mean they increased prices. They do still have to compete.

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Y'all populists can't be angry on one hand about the government refunding money back to companies "when the costs were passed along to consumers," and at the same time deny higher prices.

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At no point have I claimed costs were passed on to consumers. Leftists have been claiming that. The fact that companiss aren't refundingthe money to consumers, and haven't adjusted prices, proves that tariffs were never the reason for any pricing decisions. Only ones I can think of are video game consoles, but that obviously has next to nothing to do with tariffs.

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What the frick are you laughing at? are you even paying attention? there is a strong chance we lose the house.

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It is a frustrating position to be in. As a high-earning professional caught in the crosshairs of the SALT cap and the Specified Service Trade or Business (SSTB) exclusions I often find that major tax reform packages end up functioning as a net tax increase rather than a relief. While making well over the income thresholds, standard middle-class tax cuts bypass my household, while structural caps (like the $10,000 SALT limit or the phase-downs on the temporary higher caps) dig directly into my itemized deductions. Furthermore, being classified as an SSTB, I'm locked out of the Section 199A Qualified Business Income (QBI) deduction. Given that my hands were tied on the legislative definitions of an SSTB and my high income phasing me out of relief mechanisms, the structural moves my accountant caused me to make as a high-earning pass-through owners definitely lowered my exposure. But we pay them well.

First, was the Pass-Through Entity Tax (PTET) Election. Since I was trapped by the federal $10,000 SALT cap, the most potent workaround developed across my state is the PTET election. Instead of paying state income tax at the individual level (where it is subject to the federal SALT bottleneck), my pass-through entity pays the state tax directly at the entity level as a business expense. The result: This reduces the net business income reported on my federal return, effectively giving me a full federal deduction for my state income taxes without running afoul of the Schedule A SALT cap. Maybe your state does not offer a robust PTET or your CPAs haven't aggressively optimized this since I have learned it is often the single largest missed opportunity for pass-through owners in high-tax states.
Second, aggressive entity structuring and income shifting was used since I am an SSTB and clear the QBI phase-out thresholds, the standard W-2 vs. guaranteed payments vs. distributive share calculus changes, but structural optimization was still possible. After a reasonable compensation review and since my business is an S-Corp, ensuring my W-2 salary is optimized relative to distributions was critical—even though for SSTBs, high income generally pushes distributions past the QBI threshold anyway. With a family management & hiring plan in place, by employing family members legitimately within the business for real, market-rate duties I was able to shift income into lower tax brackets or fund tax-advantaged accounts (like family-member retirement plans), even though this has diminishing returns at very high income levels.
Third, since 401(k) contributions barely scratch the surface for me, using advanced plan design shielded significant capital. By establishing a Cash Balance Plan alongside my traditional 401(k) it allowed annual pre-tax contributions well to $200,000+ per year, because of my age. It created a massive deduction that directly lowered my adjusted gross income by bypassing the itemized deduction limitations entirely.
Fourth, since I experienced a high-income spike year, we were able to bunch charitable contributions while also utilizing a DAF to help clear the itemized hurdle. Better yet, by utilizing a CRT I was able to defer and spread out capital gains while securing a current-year charitable deduction. Since my spouse qualifies for Real Estate Professional Status, our passive real estate losses were used to offset active non-passive income, giving us the break through ordinary high-income walls.

Yep, a great accountant can not be overstated. Good Luck.