Ben Carson is attacking a key element of Donald Trump’s tax plan, saying it’s wrong not to make all Americans pay some income tax.
“I support a plan that is much flatter and fairer,” Carson told CNN. “I also strongly believe that every American should pay something according to their means. We are all Americans and we all have the same rights and responsibilities.”
Under Trump’s plan, which the businessman unveiled Monday, individuals who make less than $25,000 (and $50,000 for married couples) would pay no income taxes.
Carson also said that he wants to do more to reduce the role of the IRS.
“While I applaud Donald’s plan as a step in the right direction. We must go further. We must get the IRS out of our lives,” Carson said in a statement provided by his campaign. “Eliminating the tax code and a mountain of regulations will cause our economy to explode with growth. The IRS isn’t the answer, it is the problem.”
Carson has previously said that he supports taxing everyone at 10% based on the biblical principle of tithing.
The Carson campaign plans to release a tax plan in the coming weeks, a spokesman said.
