The Atlantic

The Republican Tax Plan Isn't About Simplification

GOP leaders say they want to simplify the tax code—but their plan asks working families for sacrifices, while delivering benefits to corporations and the wealthiest Americans.
Source: Aaron P. Bernstein / Reuters

Republicans are trying to sell their tax bill based on what can be described as the values of simplification. If you listen to House Speaker Paul Ryan and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, you’d think they’re asking Americans to sacrifice provisions in the tax code that might benefit some of us, for the collective benefit of a simpler tax code that will benefit all of us—lower rates, simpler and quicker filing, and a system so simple that the well-off would not be able to use complex strategies to avoid paying their share.

Unfortunately, even a cursory look at the Republican tax bills reveals that instead of fulfilling the values of simplification, it would simply use simplification as a guise to restructure the tax code

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