The "intellectual center" in action

Ryan says it would take too long to explain math behind Romney’s tax proposals

"WASHINGTON — Paul Ryan says it would take too long to explain the numbers behind the tax plan that he and Mitt Romney are proposing. The Republican vice presidential nominee says he and Romney want a 20 percent cut in all income tax rates. He says they would pay for those cuts by closing loopholes and deductions.   President Barack Obama and Democrats have hammered Romney and Ryan for refusing to say until after the election which tax loopholes they would close. Ryan told “Fox News Sunday” that “it would take me too long to go through all the math.”  Ryan said he and Romney would start by closing loopholes for higher-income Americans."

Here is the interview.  So his plan is

• an across the board 20% income tax cut.  More on that here.
• but their plan is revenue neutral so unless we rely on the magic Laffer curve we are going to need to cut loopholes / deductions or raise some other taxes.  Rep. Ryan says that they plan to fund it by cutting loopholes - specifically on higher income Americans.
• but he won't tell you which loopholes they are going to cut.

If this is the "intellectual center" of the GOP I would hate to see the outskirts of town.  (Would that be Rick Santorum?)

Btw (here here here) are papers from the Tax Policy Center (Urban Institute + Brookings) looking into what it would take to do a revenue neutral 20% income tax cut.  I have not read through them yet.