Skip to Content
Blog

Tax reform proposal vague by design?

May 2, 2017 / 1 min read

As Ms. Manners, a.k.a. Judith Martin, recommends, “If you can’t be kind, at least be vague.” The Trump administration’s latest tax proposal is both kind to taxpayers and vague. The vagueness is by design, according to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, to allow the President room to negotiate with Congress.

Image of a stone wall 

The administration’s latest tax proposal is short and deliberately vague to allow for negotiations with Congress.

As Ms. Manners, a.k.a. Judith Martin, recommends, “If you can’t be kind, at least be vague.” The Trump administration’s latest tax proposal is both kind to taxpayers and vague. The vagueness is by design, according to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, to allow the President room to negotiate with Congress.

The proposal, with just over 100 words, displayed a remarkable economy of verbiage, yet it promises significant changes. Readers of this blog may be most interested in these three key features:

The most commonly voiced concern with the proposed changes relates to the substantial decrease in governmental revenues. Even proponents concede the proposal will increase the U.S. budget deficit in the short term. There are also concerns the changes will disproportionately benefit the wealthy.

Given the paucity of details at this point, and the inevitable controversy, the timeline for passage will almost certainly move from this summer to end-of-the-year (at the earliest). We’ll keep you informed as the tale unfolds. This fall may bring us front-row seats to some great adventures in tax legislating.

For a slightly more comprehensive look at the tax reform outline, view our summary of the plan >>

Related Thinking

Automotive workers in a factory.
May 2, 2025

Adjusting automobile and automobile parts tariffs action

Blog 5 min read
Interior of government building.
April 15, 2025

Tariff review: Recent actions and the road ahead

Article 12 min read
View of cargo and shipping ships at sea
Apr. 10, 2025

Navigating the tariff landscape: Strategies for assessment, mitigation, and compliance

Webinar 1 hour watch