-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: PolitiFact Texas Follow-Up
Date: Thu, 3 Nov 2011 19:10:11 -0400
From: Catherine Frazier
To: Gardner Selby <wgselby@statesman.com>


Gardner – the governor said in his announcement speech of his plan and continues to say that Americans in every income group will receive a tax cut. The analysis you sent our way confirms the same thing. Our entire nation will be better off under his flat tax proposal because it brings true reform to Washington, changing the entire system, not trimming around the edges of the current one which is failing us. His plan will reinvigorate our economy and help create the jobs that our nation needs to get Americans working again.

From: Gardner Selby <wgselby@statesman.com>
Date: Thu, 3 Nov 2011 18:24:47 -0400
To: Catherine Frazier
Subject: Re: PolitiFact Texas Follow-Up

It looks to me like many well-off Americans would get a tax cut under the plan. Many less-well-off Americans would not.

Per the chart we've reviewed, for instance, three in four taxpayers in the lowest quintile of earnings would not get a tax cut. Fifty-five percent of households in the next-highest quintile would not get a cut.

Perry told Cavuto that no matter where you are, you are going to be getting a tax cut. That's not correct, far as I can tell.

Anything incorrect here?

...

Thanks.

wgs
W. Gardner Selby
Editor, PolitiFact Texas
Austin American-Statesman


On 11/1/2011 2:41 PM, Catherine Frazier wrote:
... As the governor said in his speech announcing the plan and as we've said consistently, americans across every income group will see a tax cut – all americans will be better off under the governor's new plan.

From: Gardner Selby <wgselby@statesman.com>
Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2011 15:36:03 -0400
To: Catherine Frazier
Subject: Re: PolitiFact Texas Follow-Up

But not every taxpayer, right? The last chart I sent does compare to current law. At least that's what it says at the top. I also checked this with Roberton Williams at the center.
W. Gardner Selby
Editor, PolitiFact Texas
Austin American-Statesman
On 11/1/2011 2:33 PM, Catherine Frazier wrote:
Hey Gardner, also both charts you sent are just looking at the current policy numbers, not current law numbers.
Looking at current law numbers, Americans in every tax group pay less. Also, the current policy numbers ignore compliance cost savings entirely — it assumes that Americans will keep spending $483 billion each year trying to comply with the tax code, which under the governor's plan, they won't have to.
The current law numbers are in the first table in TPCs web page of the study tables: http://taxpolicycenter.org/numbers/displayatab.cfm?Docid=3223&DocTypeID=1. Compared to current law every income group gets a tax cut.


From: Gardner Selby <wgselby@statesman.com>
Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2011 13:44:22 -0400
To: Catherine Frazier
Subject: Re: FW: PolitiFact Texas Follow-Up

OK.

Gov. Perry told Cavuto that everyone would get a tax cut. That doesn't appear to be so, per the chart comparing his plan to current law:

http://taxpolicycenter.org/numbers/displayatab.cfm?Docid=3224&DocTypeID=2

...
wgs
W. Gardner Selby
Editor, PolitiFact Texas
Austin American-Statesman

Visit our site: www.politifacttexas.com
We're also on Facebook and Twitter and so am I as twitter.com/gardnerselby
512-445-3644

On 11/1/2011 12:00 PM, Catherine Frazier wrote:
Hey Gardner - you are looking at numbers from only one side of the report that looked at the plan assuming that current policy stays the same. The center also ran numbers comparing the plan to current law, which are the numbers we used. We are operating under reality, not making assumptions of what may or may not happen in the future. When compared to current law, Americans of all income groups are better off under the governor's tax plan. By implementing a 20 percent flat tax rate, we will free the private sector's capital to invest and create jobs, which is the first step to getting our economy back on a path to prosperity and giving Americans the freedom and opportunity to thrive. It will also reduce the hundreds of billions of dollars that Americans spend to comply with the current tax code.
If you need anything else, let me know, thanks!
-- 
Catherine Frazier
Deputy Press Secretary
Perry Campaign for President