Did Kamala Harris's Campaign Propose a 20% Sales Tax on Golf Products? Exploring Viral Claim

Did the Harris campaign propose a Golf Tax? Here’s all you need to know

By Natasha Bose

Published on Aug 24, 2024 | 11:19 AM IST | 183.8K

Did Kamala Harris's Campaign Propose a 20% Golf Tax?

Contrary to what’s being shared in viral social media posts, there's no proof that Kamala Harris has proposed or endorsed a 20% or any other kind of “golf tax.”

So, how did this story gain traction? Here’s the lowdown. Like many things that go viral online, this one seems to have no factual basis and started from a parody account on Twitter/X.

Some of the online chatter revolves around whether golf expenses can be claimed as business expenses for tax purposes. Other discussions touch on older tax rules that listed golf clubs among businesses not eligible for certain government bonds.

Keep in mind: The current tax law generally doesn’t allow deductions for recreational club dues, like those for golf club memberships. For more details, you can check out IRS Publication 463.

After a parody golf account on X (formerly Twitter) posted an infographic falsely claiming Harris was planning a 20 percent sales tax on "all golf related purchases, including rounds, clubs, etc., in an effort to 'Tax the wealthy,'" searches for "golf tax" and "Kamala golf tax" saw a spike.

"Kamala has officially lost every golfer's vote," @PGATUOR tweeted on Thursday.

This tweet quickly gained attention, even though the @PGATUOR account, which boasts 297.6K followers, clearly states in its bio that it shares "parody" and "satire" content, branding itself as the "Golf version of @TheBabylonBee and @TheOnion."

Talk show host Janet Parshall replied to a tweet about pro golfer Rickie Fowler’s lukewarm response to the Democratic National Convention, "Now that Kamala/Walz want to put a 20% tax on all 'golf-related' purchases, there is this..."

Journalist Clifford D. May blasted the fake proposal as "stalinist" and "ignorant," saying, "I, for one, play on county courses with cops, firemen, short-order cooks, nurses, and other members of 'working families.'"

As more people began to fall for @PGATUOR’s parody tweet, X added a "context" box to the post, clarifying that the infographic "comes from an account, @PGATUOR, which is clearly marked as parody."

Context box (PC: Twitter)

The advisory reads, "While Harris does propose several changes in the current tax regime, there is no proposed Federal sales tax increase on golf-related purchases."

The @PGATUOR account features a logo depicting a person in traditional Arab attire swinging a golf club, with the text "PGA TUOR Parody Golf Association" on it. The bio makes it clear that the account is all about satire and parody.

Kamala Harris' campaign has not put out a new tax plan. However, they have indicated support for several items in President Biden’s last budget proposal, which didn’t pass.

This proposal includes a new tax on unrealized capital gains, a rare approach in the U.S., typically only seen in special cases like future contracts. The tax would target individuals with at least $100 million in wealth who don’t pay at least a 25 percent tax rate on their income.

Additionally, it would increase the tax rate on existing income taxes for high-income Americans from 37 percent to 39.6 percent. Those earning more than $1 million annually would also have their investment earnings taxed at the same rate as regular income, instead of the lower rate currently in place.