TPC's Analysis of Governor Romney's Tax Proposals: A Follow-up Discussion

Tax reform ideas played an important role in the recent Presidential election. Republican candidate Mitt Romney proposed large tax cuts and other changes that he said could be part of a revenue-neutral tax reform that also retained low rates on savings and investment and would not raise taxes on the middle class. In an earlier analysis, we showed that it was not possible to achieve all of Romneys stated goals simultaneously. This paper reviews that analysis and critiques several responses to our analysis. Legislating realistic tax reform will require recognition of the difficult trade-offs among these competing goals.