Comprehensive tax reform bill is the goal for Baucus, Camp and others of the 113th Congress

For Simulation members who served on the Finance Committee, Politico is reporting that Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) will work to reform the Tax Code before the end of the 113th Congress. Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) and others have expressed the same desire to pass a comprehensive tax reform bill before the end of the 113th Congress. I assume that what they come up with will likely resemble the Camp plan we were looking at in the simulation. I find it interesting how Senator Baucus freed himself up to pursue tax reform legislation by announcing he will not run for re-election. Senator Baucus will need support from Democrats in order to accomplish his goal, which may not be easy to achieve after his recent actions in the Senate.

“There will be a renewed effort on tax reform,” Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, the top Republican on Finance, said in an interview Tuesday. “I think Max will pour everything he has into it now and so will I.” 

But regardless of the new political freedom Baucus will enjoy, he still faces the challenge of convincing fellow Democrats to get behind the effort and to do so the Montanan may have to do some relationship mending. 

Baucus has recently broken with his party on key issues, including over the Democratic budget plan and a key gun control measure that President Barack Obama publicly pleaded with Democrats to support.