"I did it all for guys like you, Donald!"
Uh, on the face of it,
this is is a really stupid move:
The Romney campaign is highlighting a 2006 Joint Committee on Taxation analysis of a tax plan that would eliminate most tax breaks while lowering tax rates to bolster its claims that the GOP presidential nominee’s plan would boost economic growth.
Part of the reason that touting the JCT analysis is dumb is that it assumes virtually all middle-class tax breaks would be eliminated, directly contradicting Romney's claim to the contrary. But another reason, as Think Progress
points out, is that the analysis actually says Romney's approach could lead to a "redistribution" of the tax burden from the wealthy to lower-income Americans. As a result, it could hurt the economy. Here's what the analysis
concludes:
Two of the models suggest that consumption would increase as a result of the proposal; however, the third suggests that consumption would decrease because of a redistribution of individual income tax liability from high wage earners to low wage earners.
So while the analysis says that Romney's plan might increase economic activity, it also says that it might not. Whether or not it boosts the economy, the tax plan would eliminate virtually all middle-class tax breaks and shift the tax burden from the wealthy to everyone the poor. And keep in mind, this is all from an analysis that Romney is using to
defend his plan!
If you think Romney's tax plan is a bad idea, please chip in $5 to help President Obama win reelection.