Nutter's Washington

TIME TO GET GOING ON REAL TAX REFORM

 

BY: Jack O. Nutter

Tax Reform. Seems so obvious. For what are we waiting?

There is a dire need to overhaul the Federal income tax system. I do not see any disagreement on this notion. The tax code is a mess and littered with a bunch of garbage and ineffective narrow provisions. It is an unwieldy product of an entrenched political system. I do not know how anyone can defend it.

With the installation of Donald Trump flanked by a Congressional Republican majority it would seem the stars are aligned for tax reform. It is an opportunity that does not come along very often and should not be squandered. However, the issues and the politics are very intricate and success is not assured, but it is time to get moving.

The fundamental role of a tax system should be to raise sufficient revenue to fund the legitimate and democratically agreed upon government functions. Unfortunately, that is not the case for our system.  It has become about picking winners and losers, rewarding friends and trying to punish enemies. It has become a philosophic opportunity to shape government, society and direct individual conduct.  The country can do better.

So, if the system is broken, if there is great support for “reform”, what is the holdup? What is the problem?

Tax reform has been studied for years. I mean real reform. Simplification, Not just simple rate cuts or adding more preferences, but getting the favoritism and distortions out. These are not any real new ideas. It has all been out there for years, studied and re-studied.

Mr. Trump had a sort of campaign plank on taxes and economic policy, which resulted in a one-page summary and outline of a tax proposal released about a month ago. Got to be kidding, right? The House Republicans at least put forth a more detailed plan –the so-called Blueprint but that was a year ago. Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Tax) has been meeting with his colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee and has started to hold some hearings, but really, move on. We have not seen much of any real consideration by their counterparts in the Senate, except to hear what they are against. The Treasury Department is devoting time and effort in trying to flush out a more detailed proposal, but it seems one day they are for this and that, and the next day it changes.

I know in most instances it is better to take your time to get things right. Changes to the tax system will have to survive intense, very intense lobbying pressure. Every deduction, credit, deferral, or special treatment—just fill in the blank- has a champion on the Hill.

The opening to enact tax reform is not all that wide given the complexity of the issue, the political climate and the differing approaches of conservatives and liberals. One side is revenue hungry and the other side loathes new taxes. One side wants to redistribute wealth, punish businesses and upper-income taxpayers and the other side wants to promote growth according to their economic “trickle down” theory.

It is not a Swamp--It is a Quagmire.

Donald Trump was elected, in part, to drain the Washington swamp. That was a good idea. He not only has failed but he has created a quagmire, and a quagmire in which he is stuck.

Difficult to imagine and to believe that things have gotten so just plain fouled up. Much of the finger pointing, hostility, diversions and lack of progress are mainly been created by Mr. Trump and his minions. It seems the President is not capable of not blurting out what is in his mind, nor does he seem to realize the consequences of these utterances, nor is he capable of staying on point or articulating any cogent policy.

There is no question most of the “mainstream” media dislikes the idea of Mr. Trump along with most Democrats (much overlap there), whose sole mission seems to deny the legitimacy of the election. This obsessive, destructive attitude is not productive or good for the country. However, it is more than that.

It would take too long to list all the missteps and miscalculations taken by the Executive. Some of them can be understood but many defy explanation. All of the needless and sometimes avoidable confusion has distracted the Republicans from doing what they have been saying they were going to do for years.

Let’s look at the James Comey situation. It did not have to be this way if Mr. Trump would have sacked him on day two. However, the ham-handed delay and botched explanation was a terrible move and raised more issues than it resolved.

I have always realized Mr. Trump was flawed, inexperienced, had no real intellectual depth, had a mega ego, and a short attention span. However, I thought, as did others, that once in office, he would work to accomplish some of the goals that I believe in. Boy, was I wrong.

The Administration needs to get back to basics. Concentrate on what is important. Ignore the chatter. Quit the self-inflicted wounds. Make the case for change and act on it. The country is counting on it and deserves better than it has been getting from the White House and the not-so-loyal opposition.