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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — As Republicans march forward with their $1.5 trillion tax bill, budget experts are warning about what they say are an alarming array of accounting gimmicks intended to mask the true cost of the tax cuts. The maneuvers come in many forms, like phasing in certain cuts over a period of years and making some cuts “temporary” with the full expectation that they will never actually be allowed to expire. “In some ways, this whole bill is a gimmick,” Stan Collender, a former staff member for Democrats on the House and Senate Budget Committees, said of the Senate tax bill. “Rather than just do a tax cut that costs $1.5 trillion, they decided to do a $2 trillion-plus tax cut and lie about it costing $1.5 trillion.” Some experts say the cuts, if accurately accounted for, could translate into slower economic growth and bigger budget deficits in the long run. If the cuts are not temporary, they will have to be paid for with additional debt, which will add to the federal deficit and increase the interest costs the United States must pay when it borrows money. The budget maneuvers are meant to help Republicans stay within the $1.5 trillion box they created that allows them to pass a tax bill without Democratic votes. Under budget reconciliation rules that allow for a party-line vote, Republicans can add no more than $1.5 trillion to the budget deficit over 10 years and cannot add to the deficit at all beyond that period. Such sleights of hand in accounting are more... Link to the full article to read more