We retired Tax Justice Blog in April 2017. For new content on issues related to tax justice, go to www.justtaxesblog.org
With just eight weeks to go until Election Day, Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney continues to channel former First Lady Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign. Romney first said “no” to releasing more of his federal income tax returns and now he’s saying “no” to releasing details of his plans to change the tax code for the rest of us. But in the same way adults respond to a terrible-twos child with a serious case of the “No’s”, the adults are starting to demand better answers.
Only yesterday, editorials from both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times took Romney to task over his and running mate Paul Ryan’s failure to explain to the American taxpayer just what they would do tax policy-wise. And the Washington Post was clear in its editorial that Americans deserve to know whether Romney plans to follow in the footsteps of former President George W. Bush, who “enacted tax cuts that plunged the nation into debt.”
Politico, meanwhile, reported that Republicans and movement conservatives (from George Pataki to the Wall Street Journal) are warning that the GOP ticket better come clean on its policy plans or risk losing the election. (Evidently believing that once voters hear about their plans to coddle the rich and soak everyone else they will sweep them to electoral victory.)
Two weeks ago, CTJ’s Bob McIntyre also called for Romney to stop stalling and level with the public about his secret tax plan. We, too, have written at length on the lack of math (serious or otherwise) coming from the top of the Republican ticket.
Romney’s refusal to release any more of his federal income tax returns tells us he doesn’t want people to know how he made his money. Is his refusal to reveal the details of how, if elected, he’d change the tax code an indication he doesn’t want you to know what might happen to your money?