After EMS: The Truth About Taxes

This article is part of an ongoing series from Mike Rubin. In this series, he’ll reflect on his career and share practical retirement advice for emergency medical personnel. Catch up on articles you missed.

My wife, Helen, is an excellent cook, but not always an honest one. Last month, she made me grilled salmon with rice and called it surf ‘n’ turf.

“Where’s the beef?” I asked.

From the trash bin, Helen fetched an empty carton of “Grilled Steak Fried Rice,” our side dish.

“There’s your turf—the steak,” she said, poking at my rice with her fork to uncover the tiniest slivers of meat you could imagine, even if you’re used to imagining tiny things.

I reminded Helen I have a duty as a journalist to tell readers about her deceptive surf ‘n’ turf the next time I write about something misleading or delicious. Today’s the day. My inspiration, besides Helen, is ambiguous federal tax guidance that could cost retired folks hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Let’s begin with the Social Security Administration’s August 14th Open Letter to the American People from Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano, in which he praises President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) and claims, “A provision in the Bill eliminated federal income taxes on Social Security for most beneficiaries, ensuring that retirees can keep more of the benefits they earned.”

A correspondent lacking my jolly disposition might call that a lie. I’ll just say it’s misleading, and hope I don’t get deported to Franz Josef Land. To those who believe Bisignano, I suggest you put extra cash aside for taxes you think you won’t owe.

Did the OBBB eliminate Social Security taxes as the president had promised? No. According to AARP’s September/October 2025 Bulletin, “The new law contains no provision ending taxation of Social Security benefits or changing how those taxes are calculated.”

See? I told you so.

The OBBB’s $6,000 increase in the standard deduction for seniors 65 and older means some retirees can now deduct Social Security income that would have been taxed, but that won’t work for everyone. Many of us will still owe taxes on nondeductible balances.

How disappointing—like mixing rice with meat fragments and calling it steak. Or something similar.

It’s easy to misunderstand Social Security rules and calculations because they’re so complicated. For example, did you know tax-free earnings count the same as other revenue when figuring your Social Security tax? Put another way, each dollar of income increases your taxable Social Security by as much as 85 cents. That’s like the IRS raising its 12% tax bracket to 22%. Don’t take my word for it; get a second opinion from someone else who’s filed tax returns for 50 years.

Here's something almost as discouraging, especially for people with children (you know who you are). The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act may be costing your family more in lost exemptions—$4,050 per dependent—than it’s saving with lower tax rates and bigger deductions. Do the math, then discuss downsizing with your least favorite dependents.

Congrats for following such an un-fun topic while preparing for next year’s income tax tango. The first reader to put a positive spin on Social Security taxes (there are ways) gets a copy of Helen’s surf ‘n’ turf recipe. Or I could just send you the box.

Mike’s Exit Poll #10: Which old car would you want to drive one more time?

I’d choose my first, a cherry-red 1974 AMC Gremlin with vinyl floor mats to protect the vinyl floor. I loved that car from the day I got it until the day after, when its ignition shorted out. It was a cheap ride—$2,471 from the factory—and different in so many ways:

• The Gremlin was supposed to be America’s first hatchback, but it had a fake hatch that didn’t open. All you could raise was the rear window. Astute analogies fail me; a sedan with a see-through trunk?
• Speaking of sedans, Gremlins came standard with 4.2 liter six-cylinder engines that stretched their hoods out of proportion and prompted the ad, “What happened to the rest of your car?” Boy, was it fast when the ignition worked.
• For you stick-shift enthusiasts, my Gremlin had a three-speed manual transmission with reverse gear where first should be, first where second normally is, and so on. It was not a good way to learn downshifting.

I miss that old bucket of bolts, maybe because we grew up together. Then one of us died. As my sainted mechanic said before that, “Gremlins have their good points.” He must have meant the floor mats.

Mike Rubin is a retired paramedic and the author of Life Support, a collection of EMS stories. Contact Mike at mgr22@prodigy.net.