Cut spending, then reform the tax code

In a rare showing of unity, both parties agreed to President Obama’s sequester plan in 2011. It was going to help stop out-of-control government spending. When the committee to propose replacements to the sequester’s across-the-board cuts failed, House Republicans twice passed legislation to replace the sequester’s cuts with common-sense cuts. Senate Democrats have failed to move a bill in their own chamber.

Republicans are telling it straight — that our government is spending our nation into staggering debt, while Obama is flying around the country putting down the opposite party on the taxpayer’s dime and having his administration disperse lies, such as 40,000 teachers nationwide are going to be laid off by the sequester.

Republicans want to reform our entire tax code so that it benefits hardworking taxpayers by making it simpler and fairer. President Obama wants to close a few loopholes in the tax code to fund more Washington spending. The bottom-line: Taxpayers don’t need another tax increase to replace spending reductions Congress already agreed to. The sequester was intended to curb government spending, not be a tool for Obama to increase taxes — increases he already got during this year’s fiscal cliff decisions.

Congress needs to cut the deficit like it agreed to do, and then we need to have a serious discussion about comprehensive tax reform. My congressman, Peter Roskam, has consistently wanted to make this a priority for Congress and supports making our tax code fairer and simpler for everyone. A new, smart tax code could spur on our sluggish economy. The president and Congress need to do what they agreed on with the sequester: cut spending. Then, it’s time to come together to make real, positive changes to our tax code.

Pamela Thompson

Bartlett