Flat Tax Proposals Are Perpetual Fount of False Promises

October 24, 2011, 7:23 PM EDT
By the Editors

Oct. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Texas Governor Rick Perry is scheduled to unveil a flat tax today, which will bring the number of Republican presidential candidates backing some form of the idea to three and a half.

A 9 percent flat tax is one of the nines in Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan. Newt Gingrich supports an optional flat tax, meaning that taxpayers can opt for a flat tax or file their taxes under the current system, which is what Perry has in mind, as well. The half supporter is Mitt Romney, who, characteristically, says he wants a “flatterâ€