Pope's Icy Feet

Art Pope yesterday: "A gross transaction tax [by which he appears to mean an across-the-board sales tax on all goods and services], without any regard to whether you're actually making any money, not a tax on net income, I think that's going to hurt the economy," Pope said. "It is regressive in nature, no doubt about it."

Some are suggesting that this stance by Pope, as opposed to what Republican leaders in the General Assembly have been saying, is just shadows on the wall, that their real goal has never been the elimination of the income tax but just a further flattening of rates on high earners and corporations. And that they can achieve that best by whipsawing the public between the extremes and then "compromising" on making life much jollier for the rich.

That's a conspiracy with too many moving parts, IMHO, though the predicted ultimate outcome seems very likely. But I still think it might be a case of cold feet.