A Nebraska Congressman who sits on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee insists talk on tax reform is getting serious.
Congressman Adrian Smith says the talk on tax reform has changed.
“I would say the discussions in Washington now have changed from whether or not we do it to what it looks like,” Smith tells Nebraska Radio Network.
Congress has batted around a number of ideas on how to reform the federal tax code for years, but has not gotten serious about drafting legislation. Smith says that has changed.
The Ways and Means Committee handles tax legislation, which originates in the United States House of Representatives. Committee members would hammer out the first draft of any proposed changes.
Smith says tax reform should have been underway already. He says Congress missed an opportunity to begin reforming the tax system when it failed to move health care reform.
“Tax reform would probably be a little bit better if health care were addressed first,” according to Smith. “Obamacare was really intertwined with tax policy, unfortunately. I don’t think we should have done it that way, but it is what it is,”
Smith says the economy is begging for a simplification of the federal tax code.
AUDIO: Brent Martin reports [:45]