Even though I think taxes are evil, I have always believed that a consumption tax is the "fairest". It's the only tax that allows a person to "opt out" (unless our food is taxed). The current tax system is used to wheel and deal. We see it every election season "I'm going to end taxes on tips!" "I'm going to end income tax for fireman and police!" (etc, etc, etc). I don't remember a time in my life when one of these "promises" has ever come to fruition. Instead I always hear how "we can't afford a tax cut!". These politicians don't give a crap that this money does *not* belong to the government. All of these so-called "tax cuts" are easily affordable by shrinking the size of this monster that is completely out of control. My hope is they will be forced to end the empire and will have no choice but to make some changes. Meanwhile they empower the IRS with more money and thousands more agents to go after people like me who owe 100$ while the debt increases by a trillion dollars every 90 days (or whatever it is now). How is going after people who "owe" pennies ever going to even make a dent in this debt? It won't. It's a huge control scheme. And I'm sick of it.
I feel your pain, Rob. Thankfully, under a flat national sales tax based on the Fair Tax (but deliberately revenue-negative rather than revenue-neutral), then the IRS gets abolished ... forever!
Most folks don't know we didn't have an income tax before 1913. It started at 1% with a surtax of 6% for high earners. Rates rapidly increased thereafter.
That's right, and attempts to have one prior to that were shot down. As a consolation, under the plan outlined above, no American ever pays more than 13% tax, and no foreign nation ever pays more than 15% in tariffs, but the trick to making it work long range is to eliminate the incentives for corruption -- and that can require not just understanding corruption, but also political will.
Even though I think taxes are evil, I have always believed that a consumption tax is the "fairest". It's the only tax that allows a person to "opt out" (unless our food is taxed). The current tax system is used to wheel and deal. We see it every election season "I'm going to end taxes on tips!" "I'm going to end income tax for fireman and police!" (etc, etc, etc). I don't remember a time in my life when one of these "promises" has ever come to fruition. Instead I always hear how "we can't afford a tax cut!". These politicians don't give a crap that this money does *not* belong to the government. All of these so-called "tax cuts" are easily affordable by shrinking the size of this monster that is completely out of control. My hope is they will be forced to end the empire and will have no choice but to make some changes. Meanwhile they empower the IRS with more money and thousands more agents to go after people like me who owe 100$ while the debt increases by a trillion dollars every 90 days (or whatever it is now). How is going after people who "owe" pennies ever going to even make a dent in this debt? It won't. It's a huge control scheme. And I'm sick of it.
I feel your pain, Rob. Thankfully, under a flat national sales tax based on the Fair Tax (but deliberately revenue-negative rather than revenue-neutral), then the IRS gets abolished ... forever!
Most folks don't know we didn't have an income tax before 1913. It started at 1% with a surtax of 6% for high earners. Rates rapidly increased thereafter.
That's right, and attempts to have one prior to that were shot down. As a consolation, under the plan outlined above, no American ever pays more than 13% tax, and no foreign nation ever pays more than 15% in tariffs, but the trick to making it work long range is to eliminate the incentives for corruption -- and that can require not just understanding corruption, but also political will.