The so-called "Fair Tax" plan being pushed by some House Republicans is facing even steeper hurdles to passage now that one of its cosponsors has withdrawn his support.
Semafor reporter Joseph Zeballos-Roig brings word that Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) officially pulled his name from the bill's sponsors this week, and a spokesperson for the Utah Republican is now saying that he was listed as a cosponsor entirely by mistake.
"Congressman Moore was never a cosponsor of the Fair Tax Act," the spokesperson said. "His cosponsorship was recorded in error, as we often get mixed up with Barry Moore from Alabama. Yesterday, Congressman Moore simply corrected the error."
The "Fair Tax" plan would completely eliminate the federal income tax and replace it with a 30 percent sales tax on all goods, which tax policy experts say would benefit the very richest taxpayers at the expense of poor and middle-income Americans who spend a much larger percentage of their income on staples such as food and clothing.
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The plan has been hammered relentlessly by Democrats, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) this week said he opposed it and was only letting it come up for a committee vote because it was a promise he had to make in order to secure enough votes to win the speakership.