Baucus sets tax revision website

Montana's senior senator is joining his counterpart in the House of Representatives to ask for ideas on what should be done to clean up the U.S. federal tax code.

"Our tax code hasn't been updated in 30 years, and it's full of dead wood and red tape that hurts working families and small businesses and slows down our economy," Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., said in a press release announcing a new update. "Tax reform is about making the tax code simpler and fairer. It's time to cut out loopholes and bring tax rates down. We've got to get this done and we've got to get it right."

Baucus, the chair of the Senate Finance Committee, joined House Ways and Means Comittee Chair Dave Camp, R.-Mich., in unveiling Thursday https://taxreform.gov, a website where people can follow — and make suggestions on — how to reform the federal tax code. The site also is linked to Twitter, @simplertaxes.

Baucus and Camp announced Thursday that 12 hours after the site was created, it had received 1,000 submissions of ideas on how to reform the tax code.

The release said Baucus formed a working group with 15 Montanans from various industries earlier this year to advise him and provide feedback on legislative proposals that may be considered, and he issued a call to action asking all Montanans to weigh in. The new website is intended to provide a broader platform for all Americans to engage in an open and transparent debate.

The site has been built around three sections: Why reform the Tax Code? What's already under way? Share your story and ideas.

The site also provides a library of material detailing the efforts by Baucus and Camp over the past two years as they have developed comprehensive tax reform proposals, the release said.