{"id":1451,"date":"2014-02-19T11:36:23","date_gmt":"2014-02-19T11:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/distribution\/blog\/2014-02-19\/qa-with-bloomberg-news-reporter-richard-rubin\/"},"modified":"2015-06-10T14:46:39","modified_gmt":"2015-06-10T14:46:39","slug":"qa-with-bloomberg-news-reporter-richard-rubin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/distribution\/blog\/2014-02-19\/qa-with-bloomberg-news-reporter-richard-rubin\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&A with Bloomberg News Reporter Richard Rubin"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_column_text]Richard Rubin works on Capitol Hill in Washington as a US tax policy reporter for Bloomberg News.<\/em><\/p>\n

In Depth recently spoke with Richard to discuss his role as a tax reporter and how it intersects with other aspects of politics.<\/em><\/p>\n

What got you into reporting on the US government \u2013 and more specifically, what drew you to your current position as a tax reporter for Bloomberg News?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always been interested in politics, policy and the way that decisions get made. Before I came to Washington, I spent six years covering local government in North Carolina, which in many ways is like Congress \u2013 just with fewer people and fewer zeroes at the end of every number.<\/p>\n

Taxes are a fascinating subject. I\u2019ve been writing about taxes for seven years, and I\u2019m not bored. Everybody has an opinion about taxes, everybody cares and everybody has a personal experience to share. Tax policy can be purely transactional, so there are these intense clashes of competing interests. It can also be incredibly subjective, and I get the chance to explore issues such as fairness and inequality. At Bloomberg, we\u2019ve got a global audience that cares deeply about the effects of tax policy, so it\u2019s a perfect place to cover this subject.<\/p>\n

How does tax policy interweave with other aspects of politics? How do you tackle the challenges of coordinating tax coverage with other reporters who tackle other aspects of government?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Taxes touch everything. I get to write about energy, health care and politics. And it\u2019s not just government, either. I work all the time with our reporters who cover companies, markets and other countries. I recently wrote a story with our Intel beat writer about the research and development tax credit and how it affects the accuracy of earnings forecasts.<\/p>\n

You recently filed a story about the creation of the 401(k). Your piece on Richard Stanger\u2019s writing of the tax code that created the 401(k) was a meaty, in-depth story. What were the unique challenges with this one?
\nThe real challenge on this was writing a story that is both a history piece and is relevant today because the 401(k) is such a major component of retirement planning for millions of people. It was particularly difficult because we needed to set up the context of 1978 \u2013 an era I don\u2019t recall personally. So we had to provide enough information that readers could really understand the background that Stanger was working in without getting too bogged down in 35-year-old tax policy disputes.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your coverage typically like? Do you generally do longer, enterprise pieces like the Stanger article, or is it more quick-hitting news pieces? What are the challenges of both?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m doing both, all the time. I\u2019m constantly looking out for something I can write quickly \u2014 and something that will be significant enough to resonate with readers. I recently took what looked like a deletable statistical release from the IRS and used it to show how eager many wealthy Americans were to take advantage of the ability to make tax-free gifts in 2011. Those stories are tough, because I have to figure out what\u2019s happening, show why it\u2019s important and do it accurately before anyone else can.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also always working in the background on some longer-term projects, trying to find new and different ways to show how tax policy is affecting decision-making by individuals and businesses. Those kinds of stories require patience and often repeated rethinking and rewriting. It\u2019s a totally different mindset from a fast story.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2014 Lauren Meller<\/a><\/em>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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