Romney thinks Paul Ryan's idea of a 'VAT tax on corporations' is interesting

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How many who were sold on Paul Ryan's act knew he advocated a VAT tax for business?

12/27/11, "Romney’s Christmas Gift To Voters: A VAT Tax," ConservativeDailyNews, Alex Kauffman

Romney gave an interview to the Wall St. Journal the Friday before Christmas. The author notes Romney tried not to say too much except he dropped the name of some peoples' darling PAUL RYAN and that he'd supported a "corporate VAT tax:"

"Romney’s tax proposal is equally vague and inoffensive:

“What I like—I mean, I like the simplification of a flat tax. I also like removing the distortion in our tax code for certain classes of investment. And the advantage of a flat tax is getting rid of some of those distortions.”

He says this in regard to either a consumption tax or a “true flat tax”.

In other words, he’s playing both sides of the tax debate- some people like consumption taxes, some (like me) like flat income taxation, so Romney says he likes either.

Here’s the interesting part:

He says he doesn’t “like the idea” of layering a VAT onto the current income tax system. But he adds that, philosophically speaking, a VAT might work as a replacement for some part of the tax code, “particularly at the corporate level,” as Paul Ryan proposed several years ago. What he doesn’t do is rule a VAT out."...

The author concludes:

"And on the subject of Paul Ryan: I like the man, but I am not a Paul Ryan cheerleader like some others, precisely because some of his proposals aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Let’s remember that, in addition to proposing a European-style VAT, he recently partnered with Ron Wyden (D-OR) to craft a new Medicare proposal, which Dean Clancy aptly described as “Obamacare for Seniors“. Romney’s name-dropping effort shows that Ryan’s name recognition among Republican voters

• is far greater than his plan recognition.

In sum: Mitt Romneycare used Christmas weekend, when nobody reads or watches political news, to announce- in a vague and weasly way- his support of a VAT tax. And no matter how you slice it, VAT- in any form- is a bad idea."

via mention on Batchelor show last night