GOP pushes tax reform

The Republican Party focus on new policies to promote economic growth

A new buzzword being thrown around Washington nowadays is the term “reform conservatism.” Led by many of the top members of Congress, such as Sen. Mike Lee, Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Paul Ryan, this ideology has been pushed into mainstream political thought.

“At its core, at least as I see it, ‘reform conservatism’ is just applied conservatism,” Yuval Levin, a reform conservatism advocate, said. “In many areas of policy, we’re trying to move Republicans from merely saying no to the left, or worse yet saying ‘yes, but a little less,’ to showing what the right would do instead. Offering a clear, distinct direction is likely to be a more powerful and effective strategy than just acting as a break on someone else’s agenda.”

As reform conservatism spreads, its propositions are beginning to take the country by storm. The major focus of this group seems to be economic policy, as it believes that current policies the Republican Party is putting forward do not address the problems the majority of Americans encounter. Specifically, reform conservatives have articulated policies that would push forward the Reagan ideas of the 1980s in the area of tax reform. One such forward-looking reform has been advanced by Lee and Rubio.

This tax plan “eases the tax burden on American families, corrects economic distortions created by the tax code and encourages work, investment and growth.”

Practically, this reform would simplify the tax code and would assign a $2,500 tax credit per child in a family. Lee’s proposal is effective and important for society for a number of reasons.

First, it promotes child-bearing and large families. Levin, in his article titled “Updating Reagan,” wrote, “the immense expense of raising children deserves to be treated as an investment in America’s future, and so to be rewarded and encouraged. Our entitlement system in particular depends on future taxpayers, and over time amounts in effect to a transfer of wealth from larger families to smaller ones.”

Second, it creates greater economic mobility. The tax credits for families allow those in all classes to rise, as they would be able to tackle such problems as “health care and higher education.” This combats the often-cited criticism of Republicans as caring only about the 1 percent of society who can line their pockets with campaign funds. These policies would express a focus on the betterment of all society and not just on those generating the most income.

“Stagnating economic mobility and rising middle-class costs of living are key impediments to growth and prosperity today, and addressing them as Reagan and the supplysiders addressed the key impediments to growth and prosperity three decades ago will require an approach like the one Lee has proposed,” Levin said.

Tax reform may not look exactly like the proposal Lee and Rubio have put forward, but it should contain the same forward- thinking, growth oriented policies that
affect all of society and create opportunity for social mobility. Reform conservatism may be taking the Republican Party by storm and influencing the thought of many of 2016’s top candidates.

Sutherland is an opinion writer.