David Brooks, op-ed columnist for the NY Times, was giving advice to Obama today in his column. One item was a value added tax that I’ve written about before.
Second, Obama could nurture investment by starting a debate on the sort of consumption tax plan Michael Graetz describes in his book “100 Million Unnecessary Returns”: Enact a value-added tax, use money from that tax to finance an income tax exemption of $100,000, cut the corporate tax rate to 15 percent, replace the earned-income tax credit with payroll tax relief and debit cards.
Brooks doesn’t know the trade competitiveness impact of the proposal. But its good to see the VAT proposal get more ink. Michael Graetz’s plan is the most specific one out there, the numbers are very specific and verified by the Tax Policy Center. Its a good place to start.
I must admit I quit reading D. Brooks when he advocated suicide for elders as a way to control healthcare costs. He was becoming more bizarre throughout the last 5 years or so.
Maybe he is regaining some sense.
CPA should brand itself as the “lobby for the future.”