Editorial Board
Why Tax Reform Is So Fiendishly Difficult
Not because it has to be, but because Washington wants it to be.
Cohn and Mnuchin take questions on Trump's nonexistent tax plan.
Photographer: Mark Wilson/Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump has been talking about tax reform for months, but true to form, his administration is moving away from a specific proposal rather than toward one. And that’s fine with Democrats: They’ve just set conditions for cooperating on taxes that are as much about gaining political advantage as advancing the prospects of reform.
What a shame. The U.S. tax system is such an atrocity of self-defeating complexity that it offers enormous scope for improving both fairness and efficiency -- an overhaul that should please liberals and conservatives alike. But to grasp this possibility, both parties need to start looking for ways to agree, not disagree.