I was playing with google’s newspaper article archive today, and decided to check out older coverage of Mitt Romney. This 1996 article from the Boston Globe jumped out:
Plunging into the heated debate over taxes among Republican presidential contenders, former US Senate candidate Mitt Romney today is running a series of full-page newspaper ads attacking the 17 percent flat tax proposed by candidate Steve Forbes.
“The problem with the Forbes flat tax is that it isn’t flat at all — it’s a zero tax on the wealthy and a 17 percent tax on working Americans,” Romney said yesterday. “I’m hoping that by running these ads voters will realize the Forbes flat tax is a gimmick, a phony, and not what it pretends to be.”
The ads note that Forbes’ plan would tax wages at 17 percent, but would not tax income from dividends, interest and investment profits. “The Forbes tax isn’t a flat tax at all — it’s a tax cut for fat cats!” the ad says.
It’s worth noting, of course, that Romney’s current tax “proposal” includes that tax cut for fat cats:
But Romney’s proposal as he described it – eliminating tax on interest, dividends, and capital gains – would largely help those living on investment income, which does not include many people in the middle class.
If only there was a chance that he could flip flop again once he was elected…
