WASHINGTON — Republicans are unfailingly passionate about cutting taxes, but as they look to craft the most sweeping tax code rewrite in 31 years, one question reliably dampens their enthusiasm: how to pay for the cuts.
Lawmakers have paved the way for a $1.5 trillion tax cut, but the actual plan is expected to cost far more. With House Republicans only weeks away from finally unveiling a tax bill, ideas for raising revenue continue to bubble up and then burst. So-called “pay-fors” are problematic because they have the potential to raise taxes on the middle class, repeal benefits for influential industries or alienate politically vulnerable Republicans.
Here are some of the big revenue raisers that are under discussion — and why opposition is already mounting.
