NY Times Debate: What Should Tax Reform Do?

New York Times, Room for Debate:  What Should Tax Reform Do?:

Raising taxes on wealthy Americans, as was agreed upon by Congress earlier this month, won’t be enough to deal with the nation’s budget deficit. Some would argue that we also need to raise taxes on everyone. At the very least, a broader conversation about this country’s tax policy is necessary, and that means asking a simple question: What should tax reform do?

• Alan J. Auerbach (UC-Berkeley), A Fair Approach That Generates Revenue:  "Here are four improvements to our tax system that promote economic growth and are equitable."
• Michael J. Graetz (Columbia), Toward a Simpler Tax System:  "We should combine a tax on sales of goods and services with an income tax on higher-income people."
• Linda Sugin (Fordham), Tax Labor and Investments Equally:  "It isn’t 1986 anymore, and eliminating loopholes is not the answer to our fiscal problems."
• Alan D. Viard (American Enterprise Institute), We Need a Progressive Consumption Tax:  "We should curb ill-designed tax breaks, like those for expensive homes and Cadillac health insurance plans."