Bend the Revenue Curve - Health Reform Alone Won't End Deficits ( Brookings advocates for VAT )

Washington Compost ^ | October 13th | Henry J. Aaron and Isabel V. Sawhill

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

Anyone who thinks that health-care reform alone is going to close the massive current -- and even larger projected -- U.S. budget deficit is deluded. President Obama has pledged that health-care reform will not make matters worse. But that isn't good enough. There is no way to restore this nation to fiscal health without higher taxes -- for the middle class as well as for the rich. The only question is when. Those increases should be enacted now, phased in gradually after the recovery is well established, and tied to the increased spending that health-care reform will generate.

...

So here is what we propose: Congress should enact a value-added tax, the equivalent of a broad-based sales tax on all goods and services. It should take effect only after unemployment has fallen to a predetermined level or in, say, five years, whichever comes first. Congress should link revenue from the new tax and other sources directly to public health-care spending through a newly created health-care trust fund. The trust fund would pay for all federal health-care spending. This framework would mean that Americans would get the health care they are willing to pay for. If spending outpaces projections, Congress will have to choose between raising taxes and finding ways to slow the growth of spending.

[Halfmanhalfamazing]

This is the Brookings institute that so many news outlets never refer to as 'liberal'.

[Free State Four]

Those increases should be enacted now, phased in gradually after the recovery is well established,

HAHAHA. Doesn't have a clue.

[Artie]

“Congress should link revenue from the new tax and other sources directly to public health-care spending through a newly created health-care trust fund.”

The authors are deluded. A newly established trust fund will just become another slush fund for congress. Thieves!

[savedbygrace]

This reads like it was written by nine year old children.

[lentulusgracchus]

[WaPo article] Congress should enact a value-added tax, the equivalent of a broad-based sales tax on all goods and services.

For once, I agree.

I think we should phase in a 500% VAT on official state-run dinosaur media.

Glad they brought it up.

[jsh3180]

>>>If spending outpaces projections, Congress will have to choose between raising taxes and finding ways to slow the growth of spending.<<<<<

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Jabba the Nutt]

"Health Reform alone won't end deficits" - this has to be a parody, it can't be a real headline.

Nobody. Nobody believe "health reform" will cut the deficit. Nobody. And here you have what purports to be a serious think tank, talking about how "health reform" will help end deficits, just not by itself.

They're lying, they're insane or they're completely cynical.

[Aevery_Freeman]

"Aye, Mr. Washington, but a few more leeches will cure ye."

[mo]

THE ONLY thing that will end deficits...

repeal the 17th ammendment
restore congressional representation to original ratio of 1:30000-gives us 7000 congresscritters. Would be limited to addressing only the most important of issues

And...requiring employers at “think tanks” to draw only from state universities as opposed to the Ivy League glee club..../s

[mike-zed]

“trust fund”

ha-ha!

[DugwayDuke]

“I think we should phase in a 500% VAT on official state-run dinosaur media.”

Wouldn’t raise a dime in revenue. Value Added Tax. Nothing to tax.

[RU88]

Bend the revenue curve? More like “get bent” America! Another day, another tax increase proposal. Message to the Brookings Institute: stop spending as much money and you won’t need to tax us into utter servitude.

[Trust but Verify]

Revenues would be zero, since there is no value added by the state-run media.

[Venturer]

We are supposedly to start paying for the Health Care 4 years before we get the Health Care, Does anyone really belive that money will be in a lockbox?

[PGR88]

Want to end long-term, structural deficits and reduce the welfare state?

Shut down the FED.

[BobL]

...so the money is NOT there from the “Rich”.

Slowly the truth comes out.

[Varsity Flight]

They were hoping to delcared that “we’ve balanced the budget!!” but realize the “1000 page health care threat jail time, employer mandates, $250,000 “healthy” duress, won’t bring enough slaves to cover their pensions/benefits. What I’ve been saying all along, this so called “health care” was crafted by D.C. and Eastern Beltway for their own benefit and pension losses, probably revealed in it’s severety in those closed door meetings with Paulson over a year ago. Alot of real citizens lost their jobs, had their 401K slashed, scaled back, but the beltwayers, and their entrenched interest groups won’t budge even when everybody else has to!

[ak267]

VAT = Victims of AlGore’s Tripe