Taxes, Taxes, Taxes

SEVERAL Democratic candidates in the current presidential-election season and the last one have informed voters that the world’s problems can be solved if only we would repeal the Bush tax cuts. Ever mindful of the median voter, some, like Hillary Clinton, have been careful to add that only the tax cuts for the rich should be reversed.

The candidates have likely adopted this strategy, rather than one that calls for larger tax hikes, because voters remember the 1990s as generally prosperous times. How much damage could it really do to bring rates back to where they were when Bill Clinton was in the White House?

About the Author

Kevin A. Hassett

Kevin A. Hassett was the senior adviser to National Review’s Capital Matters and was the Brent R. Nicklas Distinguished Fellow in Economics at the Hoover Institution.

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Presidential Election

SEVERAL Democratic candidates in the current presidential-election season and the last one have informed voters that the world’s problems can be solved if only we would repeal the Bush tax cuts. Ever mindful of the median voter, some, like Hillary Clinton, have been careful to add that only the tax cuts for the rich should be reversed.

The candidates have likely adopted this strategy, rather than one that calls for larger tax hikes, because voters remember the 1990s as generally prosperous times. How much damage could it really do to bring rates back to where they were when Bill Clinton was in the White House?

About the Author

Kevin A. Hassett

Kevin A. Hassett was the senior adviser to National Review’s Capital Matters and was the Brent R. Nicklas Distinguished Fellow in Economics at the Hoover Institution.