	u s senate leader calls for  rate cuts senate finance committee chairman lloyd bentsen d tex called on major industrial countries to make a pledge at the coming economic summit in venice to cut  rates i think at the summit meeting in venice what we ought to be trying to do is to get the other major industrial nations that are involved to bring  rates down say one pct bentsen told nbc television s meet the press bentsen said coordinated rate cuts could take billions off the debt service of the latin countries and help ease protectionist pressures in the industrial countries bentsen also south korea and taiwan should be pressured to revalue their currencies in relation to the u s dollar you take the taiwanese with an enormous capital surplus enormous trade surplus and we ve had very little cooperation there he said departing deputy treasury secretary richard darman told the same television network he agreed that the u s dollar had not fallen enough against the currencies of some countries i think that more does have to be done there in negotiations with the countries involved the so called nics newly industrialized countries he said darman said such negotiations with newly industrialized countries were underway privately bentsen predicted congress and the white house would agree on a fiscal budget that would raise between and billion dlrs in new revenues the texas senator said a series of excise taxes would be considered by congress including an extension of the telephone tax and new levies on liquor and cigarettes bentsen said he supported an oil import fee but that it would not happen without president reagan s support darman called for a top level negotiation between the white house and congress on a budget compromise that would include asset sales some excise taxes cuts in middle class entitlement programs a reasonable steady rate of growth in defense and reform of the budget process reuter 
