Carson defends tithing-based tax
The Republican presidential contenders have clashed over tax plans in their third debate, with front-runner Ben Carson defending his Bible-inspired proposals and former business executive Carly Fiorina vowing to reduce the United States’ complicated tax code to three pages.
Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, said his plan, which is based on religious tithing principles, would get rid of deductions and loopholes and constitute a flat rate of about 15 per cent that would be sufficient to fund a sharply reduced government.
‘‘We have 645 federal agencies and sub-agencies. Anybody who tells me that we need every penny in every one of those is in a fantasy world,’’ Carson said.
Fiorina, a former executive at Hewlett-Packard, said she would reduce the tax code to three pages to level the playing field for all Americans. ‘‘Three pages is about the maximum a single business owner, or a farmer, or just a couple can understand without hiring somebody.’’
Ohio Governor John Kasich was quick to go on the attack against billionaire Donald Trump, calling his tax plan ‘‘a fantasy.
We are on the verge of picking, perhaps, someone who cannot do this job. You gotta pick somebody who has experience.’’
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, without mentioning Trump by name, said ‘‘it troubles me that people are rewarded for tearing down this country’’.
Trump and Carson, the two clear front-runners for the party’s nomination for the 2016 election, were under pressure to prove their economic expertise in the debate, with eight struggling rivals eager to expose what they see as policy weaknesses.
The debate comes at a crucial time in the race for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, as Carson has moved ahead of Trump in some national and local polls.
Others show the two front-runners in a dead heat.
Lagging contenders such as Bush and Senator Marco Rubio of Florida are running out of time to turn the tide in a campaign dominated by provocative rhetoric that has played to the strengths of Trump, a bombastic reality television star and developer, and the soft-spoken Carson.
The other candidates sharing the stage were Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, Fiorina, Kasich, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. All the trailing contenders need to shake up the race, and will be trying to plant doubts about whether Carson and Trump, who have never held public office, are familiar with the issues.
Before the main event, four lowpolling candidates held a separate debate. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina turned in a strong performance against Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, former New York governor George Pataki and former senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.
All took shots at Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton and her rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist from Vermont.
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