TRUMP HAS SAID HE OPPOSED A FLAT TAX BECAUSE IT WOULD GIVE TOO MUCH OF A BREAK TO THE WEALTHY…. 2000 Election: Trump “Explicitly Rejected” The Idea Of A Flat Tax In His Book “The America We Deserve.” “The oddest thing about Trump’s recent support for a flat tax is that it represents a significant reversal from his previously stated opposition to a flat tax. During the 2000 election Trump released a book, titled The America We Deserve, in which he explicitly rejected the flat tax. He said that a flat tax would be ‘unfair to the poor,’ who would be forced to pay more in taxes due in part to the repeal of the earned income tax credit. He also said that it would be unfair to allow the wealthy to get away with not paying any taxes on income from dividends, capital gains and interest.” [Institute On Taxation And Economic Policy, 6/22/15] Trump Said He Was Against The Flat Tax Because People Who Make More Can Afford To Pay More In Taxes. “Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said that he is against a flat tax and ‘people as they make more and more money can pay a higher percentage’ in an interview broadcast on Wednesday’s ‘Hannity’ on the Fox News Channel. Trump was asked, [relevant exchange beings around 3:00] ‘You want to lower the tax, you want to implement a flat tax.’ Trump objected to this characterization. After host Sean Hannity said, ‘I thought you liked the flat tax.’ Trump stated, ‘The problem with the flat tax is it’s sort of the same. I actually believe that people as they make more and more money can pay a higher percentage.’ Later he added, ‘I don’t like where everybody’s paying the same. If I make a billion dollars, and somebody else is making a hundred, and he’s paying ten dollars and I’m paying — to me, I don’t know. I like somewhat of a graduation. What you have now is a system that’s too complicated. The easiest thing to do is make that system uncomplicated, and make it really good, make it really good. And you know, as far as the IRS, people say ‘Let’s get rid of the IRS,’ somebody’s got to collect the money.’ Regarding simplifying the tax code, also stated, ‘The word is simplification. We can simplify. We can get rid of deductions.’” [Breitbart, 8/12/15; Hannity, Fox, 8/12/15] • Trump: “The Problem With The Flat Tax Is It’s Sort Of The Same. I Actually Believe That People As They Make More And More Money Can Pay A Higher Percentage.”[Breitbart, 8/12/15; Hannity, Fox, 8/12/15] • Trump: “I Don’t Like Where Everybody’s Paying The Same. If I Make A Billion Dollars, And Somebody Else Is Making A Hundred, And He’s Paying Ten Dollars And I’m Paying — To Me, I Don’t Know. I Like Somewhat Of A Graduation.”[Breitbart, 8/12/15; Hannity, Fox, 8/12/15] BUT ALSOTRUMP SUGGESTEDHE WOULD BE OPEN TO A FLAT TAX OR A FAIR TAX… Trump Supported A Flat Tax And The “Fair Tax.” “While Trump has not specified a new tax plan in the run-up to his 2016 candidacy, he has indicated that he supports a flat tax and the so-called ‘Fair Tax’ (a national sales tax). If Trump ends up proposing a flat tax, he would not be alone considering that other presidential candidate supporters of a flat tax include Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Ted Cruz, Sen. Rand Paul, Ben Carson, Sen. Lindsey Graham and yet to announce candidate Gov. John Kasich, while the national sales tax is supported by both Mike Huckabee and Sen. Cruz. If enacted in a revenue-neutral way, both the Fair Tax and a flat tax would likely cut taxes on the wealthiest American by an average of over $200,000, while significantly increasing taxes on the vast majority of Americans. The oddest thing about Trump’s recent Confidential Page 172