CALCULATING DOLE: 15% OR BUST

HIS EXPENSIVE TAX-CUT PLAN WINS FEW PLAUDITS FROM ECONOMISTS. HE'S HOPING TO DO BETTER WITH VOTERS

Ask an economic question about Bob Dole's tax-cut proposal, and campaign advisers are happy to give a political answer. For instance, Why did Dole make a 15% slash in individual income-tax rates the centerpiece of his economic program rather than feature a more complex, rival alternative? Because it's easier to explain to voters, says Michigan Republican Senator Spencer Abraham, who helped sell Dole on the idea. Whatever the economic merits of the other plan, "people would have to think about their adjusted gross income and payroll tax. The concept doesn't translate to everyone."

And getting people not to think might be...

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