The Case for Overhauling a U.S. Tax System Even Congress Doesn't Understand
Reader Comments
No.
No, no, no! You are playing the Fed's game!
time to stop the game. Don't play by the enemy's rules. Remove the ability of the Federal government to levy taxes!
We need to think outside of the Feds box, people!
New Jobs
"Americans spend 7.6 billion hours annually trying to figure out their federal taxes. Working eight-hour days, five days a week, 50 weeks a year, that's the equivalent of 3.8 million full-time workers."
Great, all Obama has to do is to double the complexity of the tax code, and there's three million new jobs created!
Simplicity?
Simplicity is NOT "the elimination of every estate-tax-avoiding trust scheme". Simplicity (and fairness, I might add) would be the elimination of the estate tax altogether, since it is nothing but double-taxation on gifted assets that have already been fully taxed as income. Of course, the departed are an easy mark for government with an insatiable appetite for power, and getting a grasp on your money is the best way to acquire it, as previous posters have stated.
You're Missing the Point
Congresscritters don't see the tax code as a tool for raising revenue -- that's a side effect, at best. Congress uses the tax code as an instrument of power, gaining it, holding it, expanding it. Unless and until the American people demand and keep demanding lower taxes and less government, (and probably even then), this will never happen. So long as we keep appealing to Uncle Sugar in Washington to provide ever-more goodies from the Federal candy jar, we're going to continue to get screwed.
Flat Tax = Simple
15% income tax across the board. There is nothing more simple (and fair) than that.
Secondary plan: Limit government spending! Balanced Budget Amendment (add it to the Constitution), Congressional term-limits (it works for the Presidency!), no more earmarks (pork), and all bills in Congress must have 72-hours for Congressional members and the public to review before final passage.
Government is not hard, it's just secretive and corrupt.
Leftists don't want an understandable tax code
The Leftists do not want a tax code that is fair, simple, and small. Complexity allows them to buy votes, and to buy campaign contributions. Complexity allows them to hide special favors for their favorites. Complexity is power. Leftists never give up power. They bathe in it. They derive pleasure from telling other people what to do based on their religious principles.
Fair Tax for all America!
I wish someone could tell our elected officials about the fair tax. It would benefit all Americans and businesses. How about it Mr. Dealey? Do an expose' on it and get the word out, good and bad.
Keep Dreaming
Ever read the tax code? I have. The reason it's so big is that it's riddled with special tax exemptions for special interest groups or big campaign donors. There are provisions in the code that only apply to one person!
Thus, tax simplification is a non-starter for Congress. It will drastically reduce their ability to hand out favors in exchange for kick-backs (uh, sorry, campaign contributions. My bad).
Suggestions
"Simplicity" starts at making capital gains exactly the same as ordinary income, with no special rules for cap gains at all.
"Simplicity" could continue at elimination of S-Corp. If you're a corporation, you're taxed as a corporation. No exceptions.
"Simplicity" is also the elimination of every estate-tax-avoiding trust scheme.
Now, whaddaya bet Republicans would hate all three of these ideas? They don't want simplification at all. They want EXCEPTIONS and they always have.
