Ben Carson on Tuesday suggested eliminating tax deductions for mortgage interest and charitable giving, two of the most popular breaks in the tax code.
Speaking in the Republican presidential debate, the former neurosurgeon touted his plan for a 15 percent flat tax and eliminating deductions and loopholes that he argued distort the tax code.
Carson suggested that the breaks for mortgage interest and charity would be included in that reform.
“The fact of the matter is people had homes before 1913, when we introduced the federal income tax,” he said.
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He also defended ending the deduction for charitable giving on the grounds that added economic growth would make up for the lost incentives to donate.
“I believe that if you put money in people’s pockets they’ll be more generous, rather than less generous,” he said.
Other Republican candidates have called for reforming the tax code to limit breaks and deductions, but have stopped short of endorsing an end to the mortgage and charitable deductions. Some, however, have suggested that the value of the break could be limited.
Carson currently is among the leaders in recent polls. Unlike the other front-runners, he has yet to release a tax reform proposal for analysis.
