Forbes Says Dole Plans ‘Dramatic’ Tax Stand
Sen. Bob Dole will frame his differences with President Clinton by laying down a “dramatic” package to simplify and reduce taxes, former Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes said Sunday.
“He is now convinced that the only way to get this country moving is with a dramatic tax change and tax cut,” Forbes, a leading advocate of a flat tax, said on NBC-TV’s “Meet the Press.”
Forbes, who last week met with his former GOP rival, said Dole “has already endorsed the principle of radical simplification.”
Dole, speaking to reporters after that meeting, wouldn’t say what the tax package will finally look like but said that everything from Forbes’ single-rate tax to a national sales tax is on the table.
But Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), also appearing on NBC, warned against “playing politics with tax cuts” and said that rolling back tax increases from the Bush and Clinton administrations would force Congress to find an additional $100 billion in spending cuts every year.
“You can cut the tax rate, that’s an easy thing to do, but the hard thing to do is not increase the budget deficit,” he said.
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