Camp makes populist case for tax reform

House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) released a new Web video on tax reform on Wednesday, in his latest attempt to marshal support on and off Capitol Hill. 

{mosads}In the video, Camp says the tax code can be shrunk by a quarter, and makes a populist case that tax reform will be a boon to average families and taxpayers.

“We can make the tax code simpler and fairer, so families can do their own taxes and not wonder if someone else is getting a better deal than they are,” he says.

“After all, your tax bill should be determined by what you owe, not who you know or how good your accountant is.”

Camp was forced to back away from his vow to pass a tax reform bill through his committee in 2013, and has seen his partner on tax reform efforts, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), get nominated to be President Obama’s envoy to China.

House GOP leaders have also proven to be skeptical about moving ahead with tax reform, at least in part because of the party’s efforts to keep Obama’s healthcare law front-and-center. Senate Democratic leaders have shown little interest in a broad tax overhaul as well.

But Republican tax writers remain committed to moving forward on tax reform in what is scheduled to be Camp’s last year with the Ways and Means gavel — even though they acknowledge they need to do a better job selling tax reform to both the public and their rank-and-file.

Camp’s populist pitch on tax reform also comes after Obama and Democrats made a successful pitch to the middle class on taxes in the 2012 election.

“Too often today, the tax code is viewed through a single lens that it is designed for special interest groups or funnels hard-earned taxpayer dollars to industries with well-connected lobbyists. That is not tax reform, and it does nothing to help families who are wondering if their neighbor is getting a better deal than they are because of some loophole in the code,” Camp said in a statement. 

“Instead, our goal is to make the tax code simpler and fairer and close the loopholes so we can lower tax rates for American families and get this economy growing again. That is real tax reform.”