Listen Live
Donate
 on air
Schedule

KCRW

Read & Explore

  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Food
  • Culture
  • Events

Listen

  • Live Radio
  • Music
  • Podcasts
  • Full Schedule

Information

  • About
  • Careers
  • Help / FAQ
  • Newsletters
  • Contact

Support

  • Become a Member
  • Become a VIP
  • Ways to Give
  • Shop
  • Member Perks

Become a Member

Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

DonateGive Monthly

Copyright 2025 KCRW. All rights reserved.

Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
Cookie Policy
|FCC Public Files

Back to To the Point

To the Point

Democrats, Republicans and 'The Mother of All Tax Reform'

Polls show Americans believe that President Bush's tax cuts helped the rich at the expense of the middle class.  Will Congress do something about it?

  • rss
  • Share
By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

Polls show Americans believe that President Bush's tax cuts helped the rich at the expense of the middle class. Will Congress do something about it? Last week, led by Democrats, the House Ways and Means Committee approved a $76 billion measure to stop the growth of the alternative minimum tax and provide tax breaks for middle-class homeowners and poor parents. It would be paid for with tax increases on business executives and Wall Street financiers. Those sound like the kind of changes American voters are hoping for, but tax reform and election-year politics don't always mix. Even Democratic consultants warn that it's risky to mess with taxes in an election year. Voters are fickle and campaigns have to be paid for. How will Democrats choose between their votes and their contributors? Will tax reform have traction in the presidential campaign?

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Warren Olney

    former KCRW broadcaster

  • KCRW placeholder

    Christian Bordal

    Managing Producer, Greater LA

  • KCRW placeholder

    Carina Miller

    Assistant Producer, To the Point

  • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

    Frances Anderton

    architecture critic and author

  • KCRW placeholder

    Jonathan Weisman

    New York Times

  • KCRW placeholder

    Stan Greenberg

    Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research

  • KCRW placeholder

    Jared Bernstein

    Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

    NewsNationalPolitics
Back to To the Point