Rove: Tax reform could be key for Romney

• Tweet

PITTSBURGH, April 20 (UPI) -- Republican political adviser Karl Rove said tax reform could be a key element of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's pitch to U.S. voters.

Rove, in an interview with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, said Romney, the presumptive Republic Party presidential nominee, needs to give voters reasons to vote for him and not simply against U.S. President Barack Obama.

The presidential campaign, Rove said, "is mostly about Obama but Romney will make a big mistake if he doesn't understand that at the end of the day it's got to be about him, too. He's got to be willing to lay out some kind of a plan of reform that causes people to say, 'I'm comfortable with you.'"

Rove, who played a key role in George W. Bush's presidential campaign victories, noted many voters are dissatisfied with the tax system and said Romney could capitalize on that.

"People have a sense that the tax code is complicated, unfair, expensive to live by, and if you've got a smart ... accountant, you can get around it," Rove said.

Romney said this week he wants to overhaul the U.S. tax system, cutting taxes for "middle-income" Americans and making it easier to save money.