A bipartisan revamp of the IRS is now being proposed by Senators Wyden and Gregg, which I hope will gain steam, but I'm not optimistic because of all the special interest lobbying that will immediately begin if a bill ever reaches the floor. Since conservatives are making the most noise over taxes, I urge all of you to enlighten yourselves on this plan and try, for once, to cease jumping to immediate conclusions that just because it's bipartisan means it's a secret plot by the Democrats (which is where you usually go).
Wyden, Gregg push tax reform
By: Meredith Shiner
February 23, 2010 12:13 PM EST
Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) have introduced the first comprehensive bipartisan tax reform bill since the Reagan era, touting a major overhaul of the tax code.
But the introduction of the bill and the press conference touting the effort may be the high water mark for the legislation, since it will be extremely difficult to find floor time for an incredibly complex issue in an election year. The legislation seeks to overhaul and streamline the 10,000 exemptions, deductions and credits.
While Wyden said he had been in close communication with the White House and chief of staff Rahm Emanuel on the issue, the senator from Oregon conceded that only the staff of Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) had been briefed in the process to date.
Still, Wyden and Gregg remain optimistic that by pegging the sweeping tax reform to job creation in a bipartisan way, they can push it through the upper chamber.
"If the only things that are certain are death and taxes, at least taxes ought to be understandable, they ought to be fair, they pro-growth, they ought to create jobs and that's what we've tried to pull together here a tax bill that is bipartisan," Gregg said. "It took us a couple years to get here. There was a lot of give and take. I'm not happy with everything. Ron's not happy with everything. But it's a classic example of a bipartisan effort to address a fundamental issue."
"Most importantly, at this key time, this is a jobs bill. This is about putting a premium on job creation. You do that by targeting tax breaks that help small businesses grow," Wyden added.
They explain it here (appearing on Morning Joe and several other programs today):
Morning Joe