Tax reform could be a mix of permanent and temporary provisions, according to a White House official.
One of the major questions facing congressional Republicans and administration officials negotiating tax legislation is whether the bill should take the form of a comprehensive, permanent reform of the tax code, or a temporary tax cut. The second option would be easier, given the procedural constraints facing Republicans in the Senate.
But a member of Trump’s administration said the bill could be include both permanent reforms and provisions that come with an expiration date, according to an article published by Tax Analysts, a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy group.
The White House official, who was not named, said administration and congressional staffers are meeting for about two hours daily to discuss the legislative effort.
House Republican leadership favors permanent reform.
“We’re going for permanence,” House Ways and Means chairman Kevin Brady told reporters Monday.
The Texas Republican noted that, for procedural reasons, that approach means tax reform cannot add to long-term deficits, at least on paper.
A mix of permanent and expiring provisions might allow the administration to claim some conservative victories in a scenario in which Congress failed to pass the sweeping rewrite of the tax code envisioned by Brady and House Speaker Paul Ryan.
