GOP Tax Bill: Robinhood In Reverse

As we broadcast, the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives continue to hash out the differences between their versions of Republican tax overhaul legislation.  At least two Republican Senators, Bob Corker of Tennessee and Susan Collins of Maine, potentially enough to tip the vote, have expressed reservations about potential changes to the bill coming out of the conference committee, and lobbying efforts, for and against, continue to mount.  By most accounts, either version of the bill would abandon the concept of progressive taxation, and end up taxing the poor more than the wealthy.  Elaine Maag is a Senior Research Associate with the Urban Institute, and she joins Eight O’Clock Buzz host Brian Standing now by phone to tell us how the tax plan would affect the poor.