Sander Levin embraces tax reform

With a lifetime of public service that includes  32 years in Congress, Sander Levin knows a good thing when he sees it.

And he thinks colleague Dave Camp is onto something good with his comprehensive tax reform proposal.

Camp and Levin share something in common — their membership on the Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Camp, a member of the House’s Republican majority, is chairman of the committee  and Levin is the ranking Democrat. Levin was chairman of the committee when Democrats last held a majority in the House, prior to 2011.

They also are both from Michigan, Camp hailing from Midland and Levin from Royal Oak.

Camp has been working on his plan for three years, and has held hearings across the country. He also has attempted to design it to win bipartisan support.

Otherwise, why work on it at all? The only reasons would be purely partisan, and if that were the case it wouldn’t be worthy of any attention at all.

Levin thinks the plan has some merit. He issued the following statement:

 “Chairman Camp’s tax reform proposal opens up a discussion that Democrats have wanted to engage in on a bipartisan basis. As Democrats, we believe it is vital that tax reform encourage economic growth, support working families, broaden the middle class, and address income inequality. It must produce a fairer and more adequate tax code for all Americans, ensuring that wealthy individuals and corporations pay their fair share while preserving our long-term economic security in a fiscally responsible way that promotes jobs in the United States. It is through the lens of those priorities that we will review Chairman Camp’s proposal in detail as the Committee undertakes a thorough examination of his proposal.”

Well, we should all hope there will be serious consideration. Much of it is just pure common sense, regardless of whether you are a Republican or Democrat.

Perhaps it is too much to hope that it would stand  a chance in this political year, but hope springs eternal. And springtime is right around the corner.