Fox Business 2015 GOP primary debate: on Tax Reform

Ben Carson: Cancel mortgage deduction and charitable deduction

Bobby Jindal: 3-tiered tax rate: 25%/10%/2%, with 2% for even the poorest

JINDAL: Under our tax plan, look, the top rate is 25 percent, 10 percent, 2 percent. That 2 percent is the most important. I think everybody should pay something. I think everybody should have skin in the game. We shouldn't be creating one group of Americans that's dependent on government, another group that's paying taxes

Sen. SANTORUM: I have a 20% flat tax. That's on all income--so capital gains, corporations, individuals, 20%. I think that's a fair number. [With state taxes, that makes] probably 33% overall.

Gov. CHRISTIE: Our plan puts forward a rate of 28% for those who are making the most and 8% on the low end. We get rid of all deductions except for the home mortgage interest deduction and the charitable contribution deduction. That means getting rid of the state and local income tax deduction.

Chris Christie: Get rid of deductions except charitable & mortgage deduction

CHRISTIE: Our plan puts forward a rate of 28% for those who are making the most and 8% on the low end. We get rid of all deductions except for the home mortgage interest deduction and the charitable contribution deduction. That means getting rid of the state and local income tax deduction because that will put more pressure on governors and on local officials not to keep raising those taxes, saying we can deduct them. So ours will be 28 on the high end, 8 on the low end.

Sen. SANTORUM: I have a 20% flat tax. That's on all income--so capital gains, corporations, individuals, 20%. I think that's a fair number. [With state taxes, that makes] probably 33% overall.

Gov. JINDAL: Under our tax plan, the top rate is 25%, [then for the middle class] 10%, [then everyone else pays] 2%.

Chris Christie: Get rid of all deductions; get government off our backs

Mike Huckabee: 22% of cost of goods is embedded taxes; take that tax out

HUCKABEE: Well, do you know an American that will just stop spending? I don't. Look, Americans will go to the marketplace with more money they've ever had. For the first time they'll be having their whole paycheck. You see, most people don't understand that when you buy something that is made in America, 22% of the cost of it is the embedded tax they never even know they paid. It's why China has beaten the daylights out of us: they can build stuff that we can't because they're not taxing it; they don't tax capital and labor and we do. They bring something over here, it's automatically cheaper even without the regulatory environment because they're not embedding the taxes; we are. Take the embedded taxes out.

Mike Huckabee: FairTax is better than punishing productivity

Rand Paul: Refundable tax credits are same as welfare transfers

Sen. Rand PAUL: He's talking about giving people money they didn't pay. It's a welfare transfer payment. Is it conservative to have $1 trillion in transfer payments--a new welfare program that's a refundable tax credit?

RUBIO: First of all, this is their money. They do pay. It is refundable, not just against the taxes they pay on their federal income tax, but also it's refundable against the payroll tax. Everyone pays payroll tax. This is their money. This is not our money. And here's what I don't understand--if you invest that money in a piece of equipment, if you invest that money in a business, you get to write it off your taxes. But if you invest it in your children, in the future of America and strengthening your family, we're not going to recognize that in our tax code? The family is the most important institution in society.

PAUL: Nevertheless, it's not very conservative, Marco.

Rand Paul: Penny Plan: cut 1% across the board; balance budget in 2020

Rick Santorum: 20% flat tax on all income of all types

SANTORUM: I have a 20 percent flat tax. That's on all income--so capital gains, corporations, individuals, 20 percent. I think that's a fair number. I don't allow for deductibility of state and local taxes, which will require state and local taxes to go down. So the answer is, 20 percent and probably 33 percent overall.

Gov. JINDAL: Under our tax plan, the top rate is 25%, [then for the middle class] 10%, [then everyone else pays] 2%.

Gov. CHRISTIE: Our plan puts forward a rate of 28% for those who are making the most and 8% on the low end. We get rid of all deductions except for the home mortgage interest deduction and the charitable contribution deduction. That means getting rid of the state and local income tax deduction.

Ted Cruz: There are more words in the tax code than in the Bible