Dionne: Perry's Flat Tax Ignores The Deficit -- "Atrocious"

[bigtree]

from E.J. Dionne Jr. at WaPo: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/rick-perrys-flat-tax-forgets-the-deficit/2011/10/26/gIQALwT2IM_blog.html


11:13 AM ET

___ What struck me about Rick Perry’s unveiling of his flat tax proposal is how little attention most of the coverage paid to the massive increase in the deficit it would cause – or the enormous cuts it would require. Perry tossed off a ceiling on federal spending of 18 percent of GDP but gave us absolutely no details. And no wonder. A ceiling set at that level would require enormous cuts in Medicare, Social Security and/or military spending.

The New York Times helpfully cited the admirable James Horney of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities — in the 10th paragraph of its story. Horney noted that Perry’s proposal would require cutting at least one-third of the federal budget outside of social security. It would mean, Horney said, “a dismantling of federal programs” and “draconian cuts in every kind of spending.”

But Perry spoke to the Republican Party’s id, if you’ll excuse the Freudian reference. He showed Republicans really don’t care about the deficit. What matters above everything else is cutting taxes on the rich.

Oh, yes, Perry gets around the fact that flat taxes are regressive by letting people file as they wish, either under the flat tax or under the existing rules. But this just cuts revenues as people seek the approach that will save them the most money. Again: what about the deficit?

. . . on the merits, Perry’s idea is atrocious. Let’s see how hard he gets pressed on deficits over the coming days.


read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/rick-perrys-flat-tax-forgets-the-deficit/2011/10/26/gIQALwT2IM_blog.html

[kentuck]

1. It will explode the deficit !

Let's see how the Tea Baggers handle that issue??