Oregon Senator Wants to Take On the Burden of Fixing the Tax Code

"I want to be one of the grunts, to put in the long hours," Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) says. (By Robert A. Reeder -- The Washington Post)

A broad reform effort would be a monumental and perilous undertaking. "Reform" means different things to different people. Grassley, for one, rates the chances of a complete tax overhaul as "very, very difficult." Wyden doesn't disagree.

Still, Wyden is convinced that with diligence he can overcome the odds. "He believes he has all the qualities of Bill Bradley except he doesn't have his jump shot," Hubbard said, referring to Bradley's pre-Senate career as a professional basketball player. (Wyden went to college on a basketball scholarship but never gained much renown.)

These days, Wyden, like Bradley before him, is "moving without the ball," as they say in both men's favorite sport. Wyden is a junior member of the Senate Finance Committee. Yet he is stirring up lots of interest in tax reform among people with more clout than he has. He has proselytized senior lawmakers of both parties and top Bush administration officials, including Josh Bolten, the new White House chief of staff.

Wyden has also solicited advice from veterans of the tax wars of '86, including the man whose Senate seat he now holds: former senator Robert Packwood (R-Ore.), who was chairman of the Finance Committee back then. Wyden has also consulted with Bradley.

"I want to be one of the grunts, to put in the long hours," Wyden said.

Wyden thinks that reducing tax rates and cutting out lots of tax breaks is the best way to spur economic growth. He also thinks that a plan that does both can be balanced in a way that helps middle-income people -- a group in need of a helping hand.

"A lot of corporations are paying little or nothing and they're going to have to pay a bit more," Wyden said. It's past time "to take on the special interests," he added.

Wyden is convinced that 2006 will mark the start of a rethinking of the income tax. If he's right, lobbyists, especially corporate lobbyists, will contest him at every turn. The tax code has become a breeding ground for narrow pleadings from almost every group imaginable.

So, you read it here first. Interest groups get ready!

Jeffrey Birnbaum writes about the intersection of government and business every other Monday. His e-mail address iskstreetconfidential@washpost.com. He will be online to discuss lobbying, lawmaking and tax reform at 1 p.m. today athttp://www.washingtonpost.com.