On tax day, Obama pledges move to ‘simpler’ tax code

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama declared on tax-filing day that he aims to ease the dread of deadline day with “a simpler tax code that rewards work and the pursuit of the American dream.”

“For too long, we’ve seen taxes used as a wedge to scare people into supporting policies that increased the burden on working people instead of helping them live their dreams,” Obama said. “That has to change, and that’s the work that we’ve begun.”

His words were hardly met with universal applause. Across the country, protesters met at statehouses and town squares to oppose Obama’s federal spending since he took office. Organizers said they wanted to channel the spirit of the Boston Tea Party’s rebellion.

“The system is severely broken, and we the people let it get that way,” said Des Moines businessman Doug Burnett. “What can we do? My answer is revolution.”

Outside the White House, protesters threw an apparent box of tea bags over the fence. U.S. Secret Service officers cleared Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Park near the compound and sent in a robot to inspect the suspicious package while the White House went on lockdown. The Secret Service later said the package was not dangerous.

Obama also met with several working families to underscore his efforts to make the tax code more fair and less complex.

Obama noted April 15 “isn’t exactly everyone’s favorite date on the calendar.” But he said the day is a reminder to leaders in Washington that they have a responsibility to the people who elected them.