WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Paul Ryan is promising to overhaul the tax code by the end of the year despite political divisions among Republicans and a crowded legislative agenda for Congress.
Ryan is due to give a speech on tax reform Tuesday afternoon to the National Association of Manufacturers. In excerpts released by his office, Ryan says Republicans, who control Congress and the White House, have a rare opportunity to re-write the tax code for businesses and individuals.
“We are going to get this done in 2017. We need to get this done in 2017. We cannot let this once-in-a-generation moment slip,” Ryan says in prepared remarks. “Transformational tax reform can be done, and we are moving forward. Full speed ahead.”
According to Ryan’s office, the Wisconsin Republican will “warn against accepting half measures or believing there is a path to reform without obstacles and political challenges.”
That’s an apparent jab at a growing number of Republicans who simply want to cut taxes rather than simplify the tax system and make it more efficient.