For many Americans, it’s the most dreaded day of the year: Tax Day.
As taxpayers scramble to submit their returns to the IRS before the midnight deadline, 2016 presidential hopefuls are also hustling, seizing on April 15 to share their vision for fixing the tax code.
Tax reform has long been at the center of one of the most divisive policy debates in Washington and each presidential candidate will be expected to take a public stance on the issue as the 2016 campaign gains steam. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has already released a detailed proposal for overhauling the tax code..
Here’s what the 2016 Republican White House candidates — both those who have announced campaigns and others who are simply thinking about it — are saying Wednesday to mark Tax Day:
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush:
“Our tax code has more words than all of the Harry Potter books… combined,” he said on Facebook. “Sign our petition if you believe it’s time for a simpler tax code.”
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz:
“This year, on top of the frustrating reminder that Americans are giving too much of their income to fund too many wasteful government programs, families are now being forced to pay the Obamacare tax for the first time,” he said in a statement. “I’m running for President because I believe that together, we can make D.C. listen, we can repeal Obamacare, we can implement fundamental tax reform, and we can restore our nation as a place that champions prosperity and opportunity for all.”
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie:
“It’s ridiculous that normal everyday Americans have to file a tax return that’s this thick,” he said at a town hall meeting in Londonderry, New Hapshire. “It’s crazy that we have a tax code that’s riddled with loopholes and special preferences that make us have to keep the rates artificially high in competition with the rest of the world because those particular people could afford to have lobbyists in Washington, D.C., to get a special line put into a law that helps.”
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio:
“If a business entity were to invest in capital, or to invest in machines, or to invest in expansion, they receive tax benefit for doing so,” he said at the Heritage Foundation. “But if an individual family decides to make an investment in people, in our future, in human beings, all we’re asking is that the tax code recognize that as well as an investment in the future.”
Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry:
“As Governor, I was proud to help make Texas the most economically free state in the country by cutting taxes for hard working Texans. As Chief Executive, I made sure tax-dollars were spent efficiently and balanced every state budget, creating an economic environment that limited government and allowed the private sector to grow and create jobs. I believe Washington can learn a lot from what Texas has achieved.”
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker:
“It’s tax day and while many Americans are filing their taxes with a groan, taxpayers in the Badger State have reason to cheer. In Wisconsin, we have enacted more than $2 billion in tax cuts, giving our citizens much-needed relief,” he said in a fundraising email. “Call us crazy Midwesterners but we think you know how to spend your money better than the government.”
Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina:
“It’s time to move to zero-based budgeting and simplify the tax code,” she wrote on Facebook.” You deserve to understand where your money is going. You deserve to have a tax code that is transparent and fair so that everyone–whether you work for a small business or just want to keep a little more of your own money– has the opportunity to compete and thrive.”
Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson:
The tax code “is a disaster,” he said in an email to supporters. “It’s too burdensome, too complex, and it costs our families and businesses too much money and heartburn. We need a Balanced Budget Amendment because we can’t trust Washington politicians to restrain themselves. We need a simple, proportional tax code that eliminates the need for complex, power-hungry agencies like the IRS.”