The Real Mitt Romney

[Lamplighter]

Romney's said he'd reduce the tax rate.
He's said he'd eliminate deductions to make the change revenue neutral.
How is this going to make it possible for people to pay less in taxes?

Revenue neutral may mean (for Romney) the total $ of revenue stays the same.

So if an upper part of the middle class pays less:
---(e.g., no taxes on stock dividends, interest income, capital gains,
no taxes on estates handed down to family members, etc.)

and bottom half pays more:
---(e.g., loss of deductions for home mortage, charity, education, etc.)

to Romney, if the $ amount remains the same, this is "revenue neutral"...

But for those in the bottom half, somehow it doesn't quite feel that way.

[Stormieweather]

Well, "revenue neutral" means changing the tax structure so that the revenue stream for the government remains unchanged. If Romney will not raise taxes on the wealthy, the only other option is to raise them on the non-wealthy.

Sounded to me, last night, like he is trying to claim that he isn't "raising taxes" on the non-wealthy, instead, he's eliminating loopholes.

Same effect on your take-home pay, if you are non-wealthy.