Posted on 04/27/2017 7:26:46 AM PDT by Helicondelta
NBC host Matt Lauer asked Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to literally raise his right hand on Thursday and promise that President Trump's tax reform plan is revenue and deficit neutral.
Mnuchin appeared on "The Today Show" to discuss Trump's ambitious tax proposal, which significantly lowers tax rates for corporations and small businesses, lowers individual rates, decreases the number of income tax brackets from seven to three, and eliminates certain taxes like the death tax and the alternative minimum tax.
As Lauer noted with his question, critics charge that the plan favors the wealthy and will explode the deficit.
"Without getting overly dramatic then, Mr. Secretary, would you be willing to raise your right hand and look at the American people and say I, Steven Mnuchin, promise you that this will be revenue neutral and deficit neutral?" Lauer asked.
"Again, our objective, Matt, is to pay for this with economic growth," Mnuchin said. "So right now we're working with the House and the Senate. This is now about taking the president's principles and turning them into a bill that we can get passed and the president can sign this year so we can create economic growth."
"We're going to work closely with Congress to get this done," he continued. "Matt, yes, our principles are we want to pay for this with economic growth, and with reducing lots and lots of special interest deductions."
Trump's plan also roughly doubles the standard deduction for married couples from $12,700 of their income to $24,000. It eliminates all individual tax deductions except those for charitable giving and mortgage interest.
(Excerpt) Read more at freebeacon.com ...
Libs think asking “How will you pay for these tax cuts?” is the ultimate “gotcha.”
Well, Matt Lauer’s primary function stems from him being a combination of vinegar and water in a squirt bottle, who works for NBC news and shills for the DNC.
I wish Mnuchin or somebody would just be honest enough to say, “Matt, we are going to offset these tax cuts by slashing benefits to the Democrat base. For too long, these jokers have ignored the good of the whole country and penalized hardworking taxpayers by voting themselves funds from the Treasury. Now they lost the election, and ther are consequences. We have Federal job cuts, EBT card expirations, and ICE deportation buses ready to put the entire American economy back into balance.” :)
This is pissing me off...until trump tweets the math of revenue positive because of making it up in volumes, the left has won this argument. One of Trump’s team needs to say, “ok, I’ll talk slowly so try to keep up...here is how economics works...the money is the people’s...not the government’s...the more they keep, the more taxes we actually take in from growth...do you understand? Nod once for yes...your blank stare of ignorance tells me nothing...”
I couldn’t fight off my temptation to add some editorialization.
“I’ll do better than that,Matt—here, I have raised my middle finger!”
The wording angle that concerns me is Lauer is demanding an “exactly zero” answer. If revenue _increased_ and deficits _decreased_, he’d still lambaste Mnuchin for “lying”.
Typical liberal tactic - seek some sort of principle from the conservatives while excusing the worst practices of their liberal masters. It’s what fascism does.
I don’t understand the idea of tax cuts being revenue neutral. Isn’t the idea to bring in more revenue than you’re spending?
Marko
“Well Matt...I can appreciate that you’d like to boost your ratings, but I won’t be participating in your childish games. Now, do you have any serious questions before I go?”
Revenue neutral is a dog whistle for “don’t take away my slush money”.
We don’t have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem.
I noticed that Lauer never asked 0bama to raise his right hand and swear you can keep your doctor and you can keep your plan and the that the affordable health care plan will save you money . I could go on to other promises he made and lied about but we all know he was a habitual liar .
Tax cuts are not revenue neutral. They bring in MORE revenue year over year.
If the plan is revenue neutral then why don’t we just be honest and say we are NOT cutting taxes. What revenue neutral means is they cut the corp tax then increase taxes or taxable income somewhere else to make up for it.
It doesn't have to be "paid for". When you raise taxes who pays for that, Matt. There is never any question about whether the taxpayer can afford it, now is there Matt? Wa are not going to lend credence to the idea that it must be paid for, unless there are corresponding reductions is entitlement spending liks welfare and obamaphones and Obamacare and everything else that POS did. So, Matt...up yours.
Maybe it isn’t revenue neutral - maybe the Government is going to have to give up a few frills to let the people keep more of their own money.....
Like. Yeah, that’s the central question.
Of course it’s not revenue-neutral. For all I know, after the economy kicks into gear, it might be revenue-positive!
He should rest easy. The income tax rate on most of his income will only drop 4.6 percentage points. That should make him happy.
Why don’t we actually get rid of basline budgeting, cut the budget, AND reduce taxes? Forget this revenue neutral nonsense, and forget this deficit foolishness.
Lauer would never ask a liberal to swear to anything, among many reasons one would be everyone knows liberals lie about everything.
Answer thus, If passed as is unimpeded in even the slightest way by the progressive liberal democrat socialist party and their corrupt courts or any unforeseen catastrophic events; this Bill when finalized by the congress will be revenue neutral, to this right hand to GOD I do swear...
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