Conservative leader says Romney tax plan 'not inspiring'

Club for Growth President Chris Chocola, a conservative leader, finds Mitt Romney's economic rhetoric worrisome and new tax plan uninspiring, he told The Hill Wednesday afternoon.

"Romney talks in the language of the left, unfortunately, by talking about fairness, the 1 percent and picking the same arbitrary levels as [President] Obama does," he said.

Romney announced out the details of his plan to overhaul the tax code Wednesday afternoon, and said he supported a "progressive" tax code where the wealthy were taxed at a higher rate than the poor.

"I'm going to limit the high-end deductions particularly for high-income folks," Romney said. "We can make sure the top 1 percent is paying their current share or more."

Chocola was less than enthused with the plan itself.

"It's not bold," he said. "It’s not inspiring. You could say the same thing about his whole campaign: It’s directionally correct but it’s not inspiring. He’s never been a bold campaigner and he’s not offering bold policy, and so we shouldn't be surprised."

Chocola also said the plan didn't reach far enough.

"It moves us in the right direction," he said. "It’s more tinkering than reform, but it would be better than what we had now."

The Club for Growth, a deep-pocketed group that backs fiscally conservative Republicans, often gets involved in House and Senate primaries, sometimes against incumbents. The group has not endorsed in the presidential race.

Chocola said that Newt Gingrich's plan, which allows people to choose between the current system and a 15 percent tax plan, "is probably the most pro-growth and most bold."

He also criticized Rick Santorum's plan. "The problem with Santorum’s [plan] is he wants to pick winners and losers just like we do now by saying manufacturers don’t have to pick corporate income taxes," he said. "Santorum’s kind of a protectionist; his plan has some flaws as well."

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