Social security is already in danger. President Trump’s plan to get rid of income taxes on the benefit won’t save it. In fact, it’ll probably do the opposite.

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, recently announced reintroduction of the Senior Citizens Tax Elimination Act ( H.R. 1040 ). This bill assists middle-class seniors by eliminating the federal income tax on Social Security benefits ( “Trump, Musk could ‘crater’ Social Security, former commissioner Martin O’Malley says,” Feb. 19).

Eliminating taxes on Social Security benefits would provide current beneficiaries with thousands more dollars but could cause younger generations to lose thousands in benefits.

President Trump has linked two budget items, and that may be a good idea. Trump wants to extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and provide some other tax breaks, and we need to fix Social Security. The link between tax cuts and Social Security exists because one of Trump’s new tax-cutting proposals would exempt Social Security benefits from taxation under the federal income tax.

Social Security retirement benefits are subject to taxes in many cases. But familiarity with the rules and some advance planning can limit the impact.

Retirement account withdrawals and earnings from a job may not be the only taxable income you have, either. The federal government taxes seniors' Social Security benefits if their income exceeds certain thresholds. If you live in one of the following nine states, you could owe some state Social Security benefit taxes as well.