Forbes Renews Flat Tax Push

MANCHESTER, N.H. After some hesitation for fear of the political price, GOP presidential contender Steve Forbes has decided to forge ahead with his original proposal for a 17 percent flat tax, with no deductions. "Every time we reduce the burden on income and investment, both have expanded and the economy has grown," Forbes told the Union Leader, a Manchester paper. Flat tax proposals are popular in the GOP and increasingly among voters, though Democrats frequently raise concerns that such a scheme would be unfair to lower income Americans. But TIME's Larry Barrett notes the idea has gained support because of strong opposition among Democats and Republicans alike to the current serpentine tax code. Maverick Democrat Jerry Brown advocated a flat tax in the '92 presidential primaries, and even fairness-advocate Richard Gephardt has introduced his own version in Congress.