Economists participating in the RATE panel indicated that many corporate lobbyists, who earn their keep pushing for tax loopholes, and accountants who help firms exploit those loopholes would be reluctant to support an overhaul that obliterates their go-to policies.
“I’m not trying to put accountants or lobbyists out of business,” said Jason Fichtner, senior research fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center and a former acting deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration. But, he noted, the country needs a reformed corporate tax structure.
And at least in the near term, with tax reform on the agenda, tax lobbyists need not worry about going out of business, especially as companies and industries battle among themselves.
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
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