Contemplating a bold agenda, Mr. Obama? Don't use the tax code as a tool

Los Angeles Times ^ | Dec. 28, 2008 | Kathy M. Kristof

[FocusNexus]

Maybe it's because tax season is looming ominously -- or maybe it was your long list of campaign promises -- but taxes are at the top of my mind when thinking about my financial wishes for 2009

What makes the tax code so mucky? Over the last 22 years, Washington has engaged in games that could be called Hide the Unpleasant Reality and Give Me Credit.

For instance, welfare has a negative connotation, so we did away with some direct payments to the poor and created the earned income tax credit for the working poor. This provision can give as much as $4,825 to a family that pays no federal income tax.

In other words, it's a subsidy. But we don't have to call it welfare because it's administered through the tax code.

Mr. President-elect, you have identified a number of worthy things you want the government to help pay for: child care, college, clean vehicles and healthcare. And you want to accomplish all that with new tax breaks.

These are popular ideas. But I'm asking you -- pleading, really -- not to do it. If you want to fund a social program, go for it. But have the courage to do it directly.

President-elect Obama, we taxpayers need you to be brave. We need you to stare down the forces of obfuscation and call social programs social programs. If you can justify them, fund them. But don't hide them in the tax code.

[Publius6961]

The tax code is not the only elephant in the taxpayer's living room.

Then there's Social Security, where welfare is firmly hidden as part of an earned benefit. At least as originally proposed and structured.

[spikeytx86]

The Tax Code is how the left dupes the right into excepting the most craziest of social programs.

If a liberal proposed that Social Security make a payment of $1,000 per child to every parent in the U.S. with a child under 13 the rage within the right would be palpable.

But call it a Tax Credit and sell it as reducing the tax burden on families and voila, you have yourselves a bipartisan and popular program.

Would anyone here tolerate HUD agreeing to subsidize up to 1/3 of a Home Owners Interest Payment?

[bill1952]

>Would anyone here tolerate HUD agreeing to subsidize up to 1/3 of a Home Owners Interest Payment?

Are you saying that they don’t?
I know the last HUD 10 year program that I noticed did exactly that.
It expired and I’m quite sure that it has been replaced with about 20 other programs

[Son House]

How about subsidizing every meal? Seen it in a Hospital ‘guest cafeteria’, they just looked her ‘eligibility’ up on a list

Adult Care Food Program

http://www.fns.usda.gov/CND/Care/CACFP/aboutcacfp.htm

Determining Eligibility

Adults who receive food stamps, FDPIR, Social Security Income (SSI), or Medicaid benefits are categorically eligible for free meals.

[Leisler]

Donney’s dead?

[mike-zed]

Uhbama has as much intention of not using the tax code for social engineering and for advancing socialism as he does of not appointing pro-abortion, Constitution shredding leftist justices.

[spikeytx86]

Yes they do on a means tested basis I believe.

I am talking about basically mirroring the tax benefit of the mortgage interest deduction into a HUD program instead, regardless of Income.