海角大神

Thanks to on his , what was otherwise going to be a pretty ordinary complaint about a pretty dull yet aggravating speech by House Speaker John Boehner (which has already gotten lots of spot-on criticism, including ), is now a post where I get to point out a !

Apparently, John Boehner and Jon Stewart have this in common: they both don鈥檛 understand how special preferences in our tax code are just a different form of government spending, and hence how reducing such 鈥渢ax expenditures鈥� would reduce both the budget deficit and the size and scope of government.

:

For 40 years, tax geeks like me have been trying to explain that there鈥檚 a boatload of spending programs masquerading as tax cuts, and they鈥檙e multiplying. Their by almost 60 percent between 1987 and 2007.

The fact that pols can claim credit for 鈥渢ax cuts鈥� (good) rather than 鈥渟pending鈥� (bad) has made them irresistible to legislators of both parties. Never mind that the IRS doesn鈥檛 have the budget or expertise to effectively administer a couple hundred spending programs (sorry, tax cuts) or that many of them make no sense. The tax code鈥檚 cluttered with this junk.

...It鈥檚 spending, Jon. Often really dumb spending. And when we鈥檙e talking about cutting food stamps, nutrition programs for mothers and infants, and environmental protections to save money, those spending programs in the tax code should be on the table too.

Tax subsidies add up to more than $1 trillion per year. That鈥檚 not , but, until recently, it鈥檚 been off limits in any bipartisan budget negotiations in Congress because Republicans have been unwilling to consider anything that might be labeled a tax increase.

that a tax reform that broadens the base by reducing some of these 鈥渄umb鈥� tax expenditures would raise revenue and reduce the deficit in a progressive way while keeping marginal tax rates (and economic distortions) low鈥揳nd this is a reason why politicians and policy wonks on both the left and the right should love this way of being fiscally responsible.

But instead, it seems both Jo(h)ns are in denial about it.

As Len concludes, this is 鈥渘ot helpful.鈥� Amazingly, before Len pointed out Jon Stewart鈥檚 take on the issue to me, I was going to blog only about the Boehner speech with the title 鈥淣ot Helpful.鈥� Really! No joke.

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