European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 15, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes june 1985 columns comments David Broder gop on ropes Affer first round of tax Reform fight to Wmk Surprise of almost including the congressional democrats have come close to stealing president reagans Thunder in the first round sparring for political advantage on the tax Reform but when the last round its still a Good bet that Reagan will have his hand raised in Victory his own partisans in Congress throw the the democrats gained the initial advantage when Reagan delivered less of a populist to pitch for his tax plan than the White House had and when House ways and Means committee chairman Dan filled the vacant screen with the kind of  talk the people have not heard from democrats in a Long instead of Reagan sounding like As this reporter had mistakenly Rostenkowski came on like the i Larry Truman of the 1948 Reagan had the High blown which was effective enough in its own but the lines that reached the gut were uttered by the Man from Chicago most people were seeing for the first Why should a Bank Teller pay a higher rate of taxes than the Bank she works for Rostenkowski Why should a Gas station attendant pay a greater share than the Oil company republicans from new Yorks Jack r to retired Senate majority Leader Howard Baker described Ros Lenkowski speech in glowing and democrats quickly picked up their cues from by All of them were portraying them selves As the protectors of the Middle class wage earners in the coming congressional that is Why Many democrats in Washington gave a big sigh of Relief last week and said in the words of one House leadership aide i think weve dodged the but Reagan still gained some Points by putting his stamp on the Issue and he has a Chance for a larger Long term if his teammates do not sabotage the immediate advantage is the one demo cratic National committee chairman Paul Kirk acknowledged in an tax Reform allows Rea Gan to change the to get off the Kirk an official at the Republican National com Mittee agreed that compared to my Aid to the contras or budget id sure rather have the president out talking about this looking Many republicans also see the Rostenkowski strategy As improving the chances for Early passage of a tax Reform by declaring they would not reagans the democrats have put themselves under obligation not to sidetrack the measure in the democratic controlled the republicans May be overestimating Rostenkowski  and underestimating his a Congo is Anthony Lewis signal ally predicted the ways and Means chairman will search during hearings for specific examples of unfairness in the Reagan if they Are he they will be used to undermine the creditability of the Reagan approach just the same Way weve used the overpriced toilet seats and wrenches to turn opinion against the presidents de sense but Rostenkowski clearly does not want to see tax Reform die in the and when it said Republican pollster Robert Ronald Reagan will be sitting there handing out the and saying this is what Ive been for All my however much it May be altered in route to the White Teeter it will be one More step toward the republicans identification As the party of lowered these Lon term g6p Hopes of on the Republican senates the former Senate Leader from said that should be a cinch unless someone screws but others Are not so sanguine about the and suspect that Baker May deliberately be putting his Succes Sor and potential 1988 presidential Bob on the an administration strategist said last week if weve got a 5050 Chance of getting a decent Bill through the House with Rostenkowski youd have to say the Odds in the Senate Are id say less than 30 percent Chance the Senate finance committee has a higher proportion of special interest representatives than Rostenkowski counterpart committee in the the few passionate proponents of Reform in the Senate do not include a powerful member and former chairman of the finance new committee chairman Bob or ranking commit tee Democrat Russell Long of Gary a Reform advocate who is not on the finance does not exaggerate when he Calls it the graveyard of the worst of All possible worlds for said a Republican would be if the House democrats pass i More populist version of tax Reform than the president has and then it is killed in the 1 dont think it will but that is my preventing that Nightmare is the biggest Challenge now facing Reagan and the Republican c Washington Post writers group with tax Reform just might become a reality taxes Are what we pay for a Socie so Justice Holmes said in a supreme court opinion 80 years i thought of his aphorism As i watched president Reagan talk about his tax revolution and thought How Reagan came from another universe of to the taxes and government itself were the he treats our earnings As the personal property of the internal Revenue there was no hint that taxes Are the however by which we meet Community needs for support for the afflicted and All the other decency is of it was Only some might after Rea Gan was seeking Public support for a great transformation of the Revenue and he was entitled to some populist who could blame him for talking about the statue of Liberty or americas Eter Nal Frontier but the rhetoric raised an important question is Reagan seeking Reform and simplification of the tax system for their own or is he really interested in advancing ideological goals that question could play a weighty part in consideration of the Reagan plan Over the months groups at All Points of the political Compass agree on the idea of tax but Many do not at All accept reagans vision of shrunken governments leaving More and More of what Are now Public responsibilities to private action or no action at for one major element of the presidents tax plan ending the deduction for state and local income is that tax Reform or ideology on the one the proposal would push states toward reagans vision of smaller in relatively High tax states such As Massachusetts or new big taxpayers have been Able to Tell themselves that they would be Able to deduct the payments on their Federal without that there would doubt less be heavy pressure for tax cuts in those states and they would have to trim government on the other ending the deduction would re move one of the biggest loopholes for wealthy Federal and the proposal would provide much of the additional Revenue needed to make possible the lower rates in the Reagan there cannot really be meaningful tax Reform without elimination of that another Point America is not really a Frontier society it is a country with states and cities help ing millions of poor and handicapped people for whom Federal funds Are drying just the other Day the congressional research service reported that 22 per cent of the country children Are in families living below the poverty that is the reality underlying the High tax Burden in some of the populist Urban if it comes to be believed that tax Reform is a Way of wishing the reality the terms of the debate will not be about Reform the president said his plan would create Mil Lions of new jobs by stimulating but an economic Roger said that was More religion than after the 1981 Rea Gan tax Cut was supposed to produce a Sharp Rise in the investment instead it produced Sharp increases in consumer and a frightening Federal of course ideology is inseparable from any tax but this if it is to be must be promoted and judged As by test Reagan deserves a passing he Cut Back on the original Treasury eliminating some of its bold lines and trading off this and that Concession to particular inter but has thus the Reagan plan would put some limits on deductions of although still with too much Benefit for the it would phase out most depletion allow though it would give Back to the Oil companies the right to count intangible drilling costs As an exit would tighten depreciation and impose a mini mum tax on ending the scandal of big tax free an interesting Symbol is the decision to put a mini mum tax of 20 percent on High income individual tax payers a higher rate than expected and one that is a sign of on the other the president largely caved in on the significant question of capital and he expanded a current illogical the individual retirement the debate should be on issues like it should be on whether the president has Given away too much of the first Treasury if he Sticks to questions of Reform and Congress for swearing ideological i Reform just might be a reality e new York times