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Here is what Stephen Moore of the Cato Institute said with regard to Reagan's Tax Reform Act of 1986 in his testimony to Congress in 1998:

In 1986 Congress passed and President Reagan signed a landmark and heroic piece of legislation: the 1986 Tax Reform Act. The 1986 TRA closed economically inefficient tax loopholes and dramatically reduced income tax rates for all Americans.

The result of the 1986 Tax Reform Act was to create a simple two-rate income tax system: 15 percent and 28 percent. It should be emphasized that the 1986 TRA was a bipartisan measure and was sponsored by Democrats Rep. Richard Gephardt and Senator Bill Bradley and Republicans Rep. Jack Kemp, and Senator Bob Packwood, with important contributions from the now Chairman of this Committee, Bill Archer.

Here is the link. I am pretty familiar with Stephen Moore's opinion on tax cuts and tax increases and he is certainly isn't calling what Reagan did in 1986 a tax increase.

Not in that particular act no he did not raise taxes. He did raise the gasoline tax, federal park permit fees, excise taxes on tires and a host of other "revenue enhancements" that even today we are still paying. That is the fact and no matter what you say will not change those facts. The elder Bush's problem was that he actually called a tax a tax and he lost his base, Reagan was smarter and had more guile.

Read what Moore wrote: it changed the BRACKETS to 15% and 28%, from Reagan's 25%. But both Reagan and the Dems thought at the time it was a tax increase---that is why they passed it. Again, read Reagan's OWN BOOK on how he viewed it at the time. We know from experience, though, that it raised the rate on MOST PEOPLE back from 25 to 28%!