Sherrod Brown Ensures East Palestine Residents Won’t Be Forced To Pay Taxes On Norfolk Southern Relief Payments

Sherrod Brown: “This is a long overdue step – the people of East Palestine should never have had to pay taxes on assistance they needed in the wake of the train derailment.” 

WTRF: “In the Buckeye State, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has announced that all affected residents of the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine will be exempt from taxes on payments and reimbursements received in the aftermath… Brown says this a long overdue step after repeatedly pushing for this tax exemption.”

Sherrod Brown: “We’ve pushed and pushed and pushed the IRS. I introduced a bill to fix it, but the IRS finally fixed it. They did what they should’ve done. Norfolk Southern has done damage to this community, and fortunately, now the IRS has fixed the damage it was going to do to this community.”

WTOV: “The IRS announced that East Palestine residents will not have to pay taxes on money they received from Norfolk Southern following the toxic train derailment in 2023. U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown credits the work of his team and the IRS for working together to benefit the residents of East Palestine, ensuring they were not taxed on a $1,000 check they received from Norfolk Southern.”

The Business Journal: Most Derailment Payments, Reimbursements Declared Tax Exempt
June 5, 2024

• More than a month and a half after 2023 taxes were due, East Palestine area residents finally got the answer to their tax question.
• They do not have to pay taxes on most of the payments and reimbursements received following the Norfolk Southern train derailment in the village, according to U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.
• Brown has repeatedly stated the assistance money should have been exempt, but when East Palestine residents filed their taxes, no decision had been made. Included assistance in the exemption are the inconvenience payments from Norfolk Southern, along with reimbursements for relocation, home repairs, medical expenses and costs associated with replacing clothes and household items.
• “We took on the IRS and now East Palestine residents will not have to pay tax on assistance they received from Norfolk Southern,” Brown said. “This is a long overdue step – the people of East Palestine should never have had to pay taxes on assistance they needed in the wake of the derailment.”

Spectrum News: Sen. Sherrod Brown announces tax exemption for East Palestine payments
Cody Thompson – June 5, 2024

• Those who received any reimbursement or payment from Norfolk Southern following the train derailment in East Palestine will not have to pay taxes on most of them, according to an announcement from U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.
• According to the release from Brown’s office, the payments have now been categorized as for disaster relief by the IRS and Treasury Department, “excluding them from taxable income.”

Cleveland.com: East Palestine residents won’t have to pay taxes on some Norfolk Southern payments, IRS says
Sabrina Eaton – June 5, 2024

• East Palestine residents won’t pay taxes on most of the payments they received from Norfolk Southern after a train derailment spilled toxic chemicals in the community last year. The Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department are categorizing most assistance payments and reimbursements as disaster relief that will be exempt from most taxes, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown announced on Wednesday.
• Brown said he asked IRS and the Treasury Department for the payments to be tax exempt. He said the tax-exempt assistance includes inconvenience payments from Norfolk Southern, along with reimbursements for relocation, home repairs, medical expenses, and replacement clothes and household items.
• “This is a long overdue step – the people of East Palestine should never have had to pay taxes on assistance they needed in the wake of the train derailment,” said a statement from Brown.

WFMJ: East Palestine residents will not be taxed on disaster relief payments for derailment
Zach Mosca – June 5, 2024

• The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced on Wednesday that money claimed from disaster relief payments to those affected by the East Palestine train derailment will not be taxed.
• Ohio-based U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown expressed his support for this decision saying those affected by the derailment should not have been taxed for these payments.
• A spokesperson for Senator Brown says anyone who already paid taxes on these payments and is experiencing issues with the IRS should contact Senator Brown’s office.

Punchbowl News: East Palestine gets its disaster tax relief
Laura Weiss – June 5, 2024

• The IRS announced that many payments for people affected by the train derailment last year in East Palestine, Ohio, will be tax-free.
• That’s a win for vulnerable Ohio Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown, who urged the Biden administration to declare that derailment-related payments qualify for disaster tax relief.

Read more about Sherrod’s fight to hold Norfolk Southern and protect East Palestine residents:

• WTRF: Ohio Senator Brown’s Bill advances for East Palestine health study
• WKBN: Citing East Palestine, senator says new railroad rule is only first step
• Cleveland.com: Sen. Sherrod Brown says IRS shouldn’t tax disaster payments for East Palestine residents
• The Review: Brown criticizes vent and burn during a stop in EP
• WKBN: Sen. Brown visits East Palestine amid ‘angering’ NTSB report
• WOIO: Sen. Sherrod Brown announces fund for East Palestine small businesses
• Ideastream Public Media: Railway Safety Act would have made a difference in East Palestine derailment, Sen. Sherrod Brown says