Fair and Simple Taxation

Fair and Simple Taxation

Our tax system is complicated and unfair.  We all know that.  Individuals and businesses with very similar incomes pay very different taxes based on their tax “strategies.”  It’s all legal but unfair.  When state taxes, user fees, social security taxes, Medicare taxes, property taxes and sales taxes are counted most of us have 40-45% of our incomes going into our over $4 trillion state and federal tax machine.  And the people who pay the biggest percentage of their incomes are the poorest, those who work for a paycheck, and the middle class.  Most of us want to have a federal income flat tax and a state consumption tax that ensures every person equitably pays and every business that sells goods or services to our citizens pays.  Make it simple.  These two taxes and a legacy tax.  No social security, Medicare, or state income tax.  (The legacy tax is explained at www.americandreamproject.org/bigideas.)  And finally we need civil servants that have incentives to be efficient.  What if we distributed $1 million for every $20 million saved from public budgets as bonuses to entrepreneurial bureaucrats who are dedicated to efficiency and quality.  What’s the cumulative tax savings effect of having every letter carrier deliver mail to five extra homes than they currently are?   The only way to take the waste out of government is to reward our government employees for innovating more efficiency.  We need to raise our voices for tax reform.

© 2008 America’s New Agenda.