Republican Tax Plan Quickly Hits First Hurdle

[question everything]

Source: WSJ

WASHINGTON—A day after announcing their ambitious tax plan, Republicans debated scaling back one of their largest and most controversial proposals to pay for lower tax rates: repeal of the individual deduction for state and local taxes.

Faced with the potential for defections by House Republicans from high-tax states such as New York and New Jersey, Republicans are exploring ways to satisfy those lawmakers without backing off the lower tax rates they promised.

(snip)

The fight over the state and local deduction, with more than $1 trillion at stake over a decade, is an early signal of the bruising battle ahead for Republicans trying to pass a tax bill that hasn’t garnered Democratic support and that faces narrow GOP margins in the House and Senate. It is the most obvious case of a bloc of pivotal lawmakers holding a specific concern, but it won’t be the only one.

“The notion that you fix this and then it’s smooth sailing?” Mr. Roskam R-IL) said. “How naive.”

If Republicans from high-tax states all oppose repeal and stick together, they have the clout to force a change. The top nine states for the deduction, measured as a percentage of income, are represented by 33 House Republicans. With one vacancy in the House, the party can lose no more than 22 GOP votes on legislation if all Democrats remain opposed.



Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/republican-tax-plan-quickly-hits-first-hurdle-1506638523

[Fred Sanders]

1. Oh, WSJ, you always make me laugh! No support from Democrats you say?

Perhaps that is because Republicans have totally abandoned any and all consultation with Democrats? Or perhaps because they threaten again to ram tax cuts for rich with no Congressional hearings or debate?

Democracy dies in the dark and Republicans are the grip reapers.

So, in short, fuck you WSJ.

[marybourg]

2. It seemed like a plain, unvarnished statement

of fact to me.

[DrToast]

5. Agree....

Some people get carried away.

[Fred Sanders]

10. You mean my statement...as I have already clearly explained what was left out. Do you disagree

the WSJ left out some facts on purpose...or probably you do not care??? Nyet?

[flotsam]

3. Republican Plan hits Hurdle

Tea Party Coalition insist they shit while Moderates demand they go blind...

[not fooled]

4. Uh,

Couldn't they have foreseen this problem before releasing their proposal? So the house pukes that are now possible defectors didn't know the content of the plan beforehand??? So the pukes hid it even from other, congressional pukes? How strategic (not).

Dumbasses.

[IronLionZion]

7. One would think the tax cut party would have put some years developing a workable plan

but no. Everything they produce looks like it was thrown together quickly with very little planning.

[Yavin4]

8. It's hard to turn Frank Luntz's soundbites into actual policy

It's easier to say, "repeal and replace", a million times than to actually design a health care policy that covers everyone cheaply. It's easier to say, "death taxes", than it is to come up with a plan to cover the loss of revenue.

The Republicans have gotten away for decades by living on these pithy lines instead of doing the hard work of developing policies. Pithy quotes lead to simple minded thinking which then leads to simple minded candidates like Palin and Trump.

[Bradical79]

9. They rarely know the content before hand

These people get elected these days without the slightest idea of what they're supposed to be doing as legislators, and usually don't care. Bloviate about guns, God, taxes, and hurting other groups of people, then vote for whatever your handler puts in front of you.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Stimulating a robust economy will destroy the currency

which will destroy the country

That's the plan!