Jon Basil Utley: Republicans Still Excel at Collecting Taxes for the State
The old accusation that Republicans are tax collectors for the welfare state still rings true. Republicans repeatedly promise lower tax rates in return for eliminating tax deductions. Then, a few years later, tax rates are raised back up to old levels—but the deductions stay gone forever. But it's not just the welfare state. As Jon Utley points out, Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wisc.) proposed budget would increase military spending by some $50 billion per year starting in 2015, eliminating the savings of the defense sequestration plan passed last year by Congress.
