One that minimizes tax preferences with the goal of increasing revenue at a given rate of taxation.
Expanding the definition of taxable income by removing or restructuring tax preferences could significantly increase revenue. In fact, the President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform estimated that converting the current preference-riddled tax to a comprehensive income tax system would nearly double the tax base.
In truth, virtually all tax analysts reach similar conclusions. Holding other factors constant, a broader tax base means that a lower tax rate will raise the same revenue. Hence, base broadening can offset the revenue effects of lowering the tax rate.
The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (Bowles-Simpson, for short) aimed to broaden the tax base by eliminating up to $1.1 trillion worth of tax expenditures, with the revenue gains used to reduce both tax rates and the budget deficit. The Domenici-Rivlin tax reform proposal also features base broadening and would reduce the deficit with a mix of eliminating, reducing, and simplifying various tax expenditures. A 2014 proposal by then-Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) would broaden the base and reduce tax rates.
Updated January 2024
Congressional Budget Office. 2021. “The Distribution of Major Tax Expenditures in 2019.” Washington, DC: Congressional Budget Office.
Domenici-Rivlin Debt Reduction Task Force. 2010. “Domenici-Rivlin Debt Reduction Task Force Plan 2.0.” Washington, DC: Bipartisan Policy Center.
House Ways and Means Committee. 2014. “Camp Formally Introduces the Tax Reform Act of 2014.” Washington, DC: House Ways and Means Committee.
National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. 2010. “The Moment of Truth.” Washington, DC: National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. 2005. Simple, Fair, and Pro-Growth: Proposals to Fix America’s Tax System. Washington, DC: President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform.