Tax reform boils down to knife fight, says Arizona Rep. David Schweikert
Oct 23, 2017, 2:25 PM | Updated: 2:36 pm
(Instagram Photo)
(Instagram Photo)
PHOENIX — U.S. Rep. David Schweikert of Arizona has no illusions about the work he’s doing trying to rein in the country’s tax code.
“We’re trying to get rid of 30 years of, sort of, deductions and little gimmicks in the tax code that lobbyists have put there, so that becomes a knife fight,” he told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Monday.
The Republican, who serves on Congress’ Joint Economic Committee, said the current tax code, “was 67,000 pages and we’re taking a run at removing at least a third of those pages …
“This is not a tax cut, this is rewriting a portion of the tax code.”
President Donald Trump has said he wanted a makeover for the tax code written and on his desk by Thanksgiving. Schweikert said that may prove difficult.
“Every group that has something that they want or are trying to protect in the tax code,” Schweikert said, adding that a Senate reconciliation bill could move tax reform closer to reality on a 51-vote basis.
“We’re not thrilled with the Senate’s budget but at least it gives us the corridor to do tax reform. Within three weeks, you could see us starting to move a big-time rewrite of the tax code to the floor of the House.”
House Republicans passed a budget nearly a month ago. Moving that plan forward would pave the way for the party’s tax plan.
