Eliminate Tax Brackets and Complicated Forms With a Flat Tax

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You must have a 6th grade brain or have never tried to get ahead in the system.I make less than 70,000 per year,should say did make. We tried to have a rental house,had to sell it,got laid off.My 401k was cancelled.Have small CDs.Have you ever tried to figure that out.Cost,expenses,losses,LOL any gains(couldn't forget the 6.47 rebate from local co-op).6 -7 forms later and 100.00 to local CPA I still had to pay taxes,thats on top of almost a year on unemployment,388.00 per week.TRY IT,or may-be your 6th grader can figure it out.
IT'S CALLED A FAIR TAX NOT FLAT TAX!!!

Hunter of WI 11:02PM April 14, 2010

THis article is suggesting we are all idiots and can't fill these simple tax forms. Tax software is free on the internet, too. If it is too complicated hire someone and the expenses are tax deductible.
This is a dumbed-down appeal that we are stupid. If the tax form were any easier, my 3rd grader could do my taxes for me.
Sure if you are fabulously wealthy you could try all sorts of slippery schemes to not pay your taxes, but where is your patriotism. Pay your taxes and be proud you live in the US.

Linda of NJ 10:05PM April 14, 2010

Your lumpy flat tax is not flat enough, which invites future loopholes to be added by Congress. It also is not low enough. I propose:
A 10% flat tax on all individual and business income, no deductions, no dependents. Everyone pays 10%, you make a buck you send in a dime, you make $100K you send in $10K, you make a million you send in $100K... With a flat tax everyone is a stakeholder in the USA... the poor, middle class, the rich, as well as any size business.

Jeane Wade of IL 6:43PM April 14, 2010

The Fairtax is the way to go. Check it out.
www.fairtax.org

saquish of MA 4:33PM April 14, 2010

Most of us would pay a bit less in taxes and the government would get the same revenue. We'll also have fewer headaches every April and keep more of our privacy. Rich people who pay a lot in taxes would pay less. Rich people who pay almost nothing would pay more. The economy would run more smoothly and grow faster, without weird tax incentives. This seems like a no-brainer to me.
I'd like to see some kind of provision that would make it difficult to create new loopholes. The incentive to create loopholes will still be there. I don't know if Congress can pass laws about creating future laws that they can't overturn just as easily. But simplifying the tax code will, at least, leave us with a better, cheaper, fairer tax system for a few decades.

Scott of CA 3:04PM April 14, 2010

Jerry - What are you talking about?
http://www.american.com/archive/2007/november-december-magazine-contents/guess-who-really-pays-the-taxes
I bet you don't pay jack for taxes. I bet you get a damned refund every year. Go do some research, Jerry.

Jamie of FL 3:01PM April 14, 2010

This idea is a swindle to keep regressive taxes on the middle class.
Hidden here is an agenda of a tax dodges for corporations and the wealthiest (who are paying Mitchell to sell this garbage). Let's not miss the fact that this shill for Koch Industries is suggesting a complete do-over on all tax policy so some new Citizens United corporate-bought Congress will write tax code in favor of multinational corporations, at the expense of average joes. Cute to mention Bill Gates, but did you mention he thinks taxes should be raised on the rich. Unlike the Koch Industries who game the politics to not pay taxes.
The Constitution was written to create the power of taxation to replace the impotent Articles of Confederation. Tax policy is used to encourage economic behavior beneficial to the majority of the country, not just for the special interests that Citizens United will favor.

Jerry of TX 2:28PM April 14, 2010

GIVE A FAILING BANKRUPT GOVERMENT MORE MONEY??? TO THIS POINT THEY'VE DONE NOTHING RIGHT!!!

Hunter of WI 6:53PM April 13, 2010

IS ADDED ON TOP OF ALL THE TAXES WE ALREADY PAY,IT DOES NOT REPLACE ANY OF THEM.BOTTOM LINE IT IS ANOTHER TAX...As if we don't already pay enough..I've worked in a few countries with gov.healthcare and a VAT tax.People pay 60% of their paychecks in taxes,Iceland still had co-pay,then they still had VAT tax on EVERYTHING they bought.A VAT tax WILL NOT do away with other taxes.
THE ANSWER IS EASY,,GOVERMENT MUST QUIT SPENDING AND QUIT TRYING TO BE THE ANSWER TO EVERYONES PROBLEMS..THEY ARE THE PROBLEM!!!!!
CAN'T WE SEE THIS??? May-be not flat tax,but FAIR TAX..

Hunter of WI 6:49PM April 13, 2010

Rather than "revert" to a regressive flat tax, how would a VAT work? It is used by many large European nations and apparently avoids both the pitfalls of our current IRS "mess" and the "class warfare" of a flat tax.
What think ye?

Gary Downing of MN 5:02PM April 13, 2010