We are here this morning to talk about tax cuts, why. In bruce bartletts view, the 1981 reagan tax cuts main virtue was that it eased the. The fair tax is nothing more or less than a national sales tax. Given that bruce bartlett is one of the most scathing critics of republican tax policy, his remarks concerning president obamas tax proposals struck me as worthy of note. Bartlett spent much of his time on tax issues, helping to draft the kemproth tax bill, which ultimately formed the basis of ronald reagans 1981 tax cut. Six questions for bruce bartlett bruce bartlett on the. In an interview with pejman yousefzadeh on why supply side economics has outlived its usefulness and the united states desperately needs a value added tax, former wsj columnist bruce bartlett remarks. Fairtax, flawed tax, by bruce bartlett, commentary, wsj update. In an evenhanded, nonpartisan manner bruce bartlett skillfully makes the us tax system accessible to the masses. The deceptive presentation of the fairtax proposal economists view. Conservative economist lawrence lindsey made a thorough effort to calculate the. Boortzs book coauthored by georgia congressman john linder entitled the fairtax book, explains the proposal and spent time atop the.
Former treasury official bruce bartlett says the changes marco rubio won in the gop tax bill offer nothing more than crumbs off the plates of the rich to working families. Could income tax be replaced by a consumptionbased sales tax. Bruce bartlett served as an advisor in the reagan administration and in the department of the treasury in the george h. The roots of the tax reform act of 1986 1 bruce bartlett in january 1984, ronald.
Why the case for tax cuts is failing and what should be. Although the alternative minimum tax is still on the books, the number of. The benefit and the burden is a laymans guide through the jungle of a tax. A look at the gops plan to cut taxes nprs michel martin talks with republican bruce bartlett, former adviser to president ronald reagan, who says tax cuts dont spur economic growth. Supplyside economics in action, appeared in 1981 new rochelle, ny. Bruce bartlett is a columnist and blogger for the fiscal times. Tax reform why we need it and what it will take by bruce bartlett the benefit and the burden is a very solid, nononsense book that makes the compelling case for tax reform and what it will take to do so.
It depends on how you define the tax rate historically, the term tax rate has meant the average or effective tax rate that is. Opinion trumps misguided embrace of tax cuts the new. The reason they chose a rate of 23% for it is because studies show that support for a national sales tax dwindles when the rate gets above 23%. On the economy, the deficit, and the chance that america will one day have a vat. His writing often focuses on the intersection between. Bruce bartlett on president obamas tax reform proposals. Treasury department official, who has said the fair tax would shift the countrys tax burden from the wealthy to the poor source. Like every other sales tax, its a percentage of the price of the item against which its levied. Bruce bartlett on the deficit, economy and vat six questions for bruce bartlett. Be fair to fairtax throw the red herrings back in the water. Bruce bartlett, a former treasury department official, says the prebate does little to change the regressive nature of the tax, because people will spend their prebate and it will be taxed at the. He was previously a columnist for forbes magazine and creators syndicate. He is the author of multiple bestselling books including. Bruce bartlett stated that polls show tax reform support is extremely sensitive to the.
The best growth in recent memory came after president bill clinton raised taxes in the 90s. If you are interested in a serious but accessible look at my favorite topictax reformcheck out two new books. Bruce bartlett was formerly treasury deputy assis tant secretary. The reagan tax plan is not the medicine the economy needs. Bruce bartlett showed just how much he understands washington by arranging to have his new book, the benefit and the burden. Fairtax is a flat tax proposal in the united states that includes complete dismantling of the. The transcript from this weeks mib podcast with bruce bartlett is below. Bruce bartlett is a historian and former reagan adviser who describes himself as a lifelong conservative that believes the current gop panders to fools. Pdf the roots of the tax reform act of 1986 bruce bartlett. Opinion trumps misguided embrace of tax cuts the new york. Bruce bartlett is a columnist for the economix blog of the new york times, the.
The prebate would help, but once that money is spent, it will be taxed too. The people responsible for creating afft and the fair tax are houston businessmen leo linbek and robert mcnair. As such, i feel compelled to offer a partial defense against bruce bartletts anti fair tax column in the wall street journal. Bruce bartlett debunks the fair tax in a wsj editoral. About ramesh ponnuru follow ramesh ponnuru on twitter january 28, 2008 2. Bruce bartletts accessible and insightful guide to tax reform. Bruce bartlett on the reagan tax cuts by reihan salam. Bruce bartlett held senior policy roles in the ronald reagan and.