Current Events > Why are Republicans' first agenda item always cutting taxes ?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Reagan first major legislation in 1981: cut taxes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Recovery_Tax_Act_of_1981

GWB first major legislation in 2001: cut taxes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Growth_and_Tax_Relief_Reconciliation_Act_of_2001

Trump first agenda item in 2017: cut taxes
(Repealing Obamacare is really about repealing the taxes associated with it.)

They have donors to please. But it's a losing battle and a waste of time, because the next Democratic administration will simply vote to raise them again, and the Republican admin after that will lower, etc. it's a never ending tug of war. Tax receipts as a percentage of gross national product has been fairly constant over the past century. Yet half the time Congress is in session, they're debating taxes, while wasting valuable time, energy & political capital.

If Republicans instead started with the border wall or anything else tangible, it cannot be undone easily by the next Democratic administration. Even if Dems are highly against the idea of a wall, if one gets built, they're not likely to just tear it down . Or it could be any other type of reform that Repubs constantly blabber about instead of taxes.
---