Tax Reform : Stimulate Economic Growth

The current tax policy in the United States is very confusing and it is very costly for our government to administer it. It is in the best interest of our country and its citizens to revise or replace our current tax policy.

First off, there are many people who do not even know what a flat tax is. By definition, a flat tax is described as, “a very precisely defined and coherent tax structure: a combination of a cash-flow tax on business income and a tax on workers’ income, both levied at the same, single rate” (Keen 4). Now, this just means that every person and every business, no matter the income, would be taxed at the same rate. Realistically speaking, when people talk about taxes, it is a matter of who wins and who loses. If we decided to adopt a flat tax system, people of lower income families would be suffering, “Under the flat tax, low-income households would lose because they now pay no income tax and are eligible for a refundable EITC of up to $3,370” (Gale 155). With this being said, the families of higher income would actually be thriving of a system

People do not enjoy talking about taxes because they are too political, confusing, and depressing. It is no secret that the American tax code is a mess and something many economists describe as too broken to fix. Despite this, politicians have never stopped from trying to “fix” the code, yet they have had very little success. The U.S. Government’s tax code currently comprises “more than 67,000 pages of complexities” (Boortz, Linder, & Woodall 14). The Americans for Fair Taxation (AFFT) was founded in 1995 with one goal: create the simplest and best tax reform plan that would work in the modern market and economy. The AFFT’s best solution was a bill which they promptly called the FairTax.

The current tax code for the United States is almost 74,000 pages long. Or to put that into a different light: About 116 copies of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. It is small wonder that a few of the announced candidates for President of the United States, have again begun to kick the tires on the topic of a Flat Tax. But is a flat tax actually a solution to our country’s growing tax complexity? What are the potential economic effects of a flat tax (both positive and negative)? Finally, is a flat tax even a viable solution? In short, will it work? As a concept, a flat tax is spectacular. Simplicity at its finest. As a fiscal policy, I believe that same simplicity must be examined and inspected closely.

The tax policy in the United States is very confusing. When the tax policy was originally written in 1913 it was four hundred pages. Now, over the past ninety one years, that tax policy has evolved to over 72,000 pages. Since the tax code has become so lengthy and nearly impossible to understand, the topic of tax reform has been in the minds of many. Although, most barely think about tax reform until tax season. It is a controversial subject due to the impact a change in tax code would have on the American people. The two most popular and widely known stakeholders in this debate are the two major political parties in the United States, the Democrats and the Republicans. The two parties share absolutely no common ground on the subject of

A flat tax system in the United States by definition refers to taxing household incomes at the same rate regardless of income levels. Advocates of a flat tax system argue that it will simplify U.S. tax codes and eliminate other taxes. Opponents of a flat tax system argue that it only benefits wealthy individuals and would eliminate the IRS causing wide-spread unemployment. Here are some of the pros and cons of a flat tax system.

With having the above statements showing the cons of each system, it is fair to say that having a flat tax would be good for our system. It would make everything equal for every class, and not have any or as much negative comments directed towards it. Changing from our “burden” system to flat tax would be a win win for

It is the general agreement of tax payers everywhere that the current tax system is way too complicated. You either need to have a certified public accountant help you do them or a specialized tax program to walk you through it. Not only that, but the costs associated with having someone prepare your taxes or buying the specialized computer program needed to navigate the myriad of entangled tax codes and laws can become quite expensive. But it is not only expensive for us, the individual tax payer, but it is also expensive for businesses and it is extremely expensive for the Federal government. Not

Our current income tax system today is very complex, unfair, inhibits saving, investment and job creation, imposes a heavy burden on families, and weakens the integrity of the democratic process. It can't be fixed and must be replaced. The U.S. income tax code is a long and complex system. The income tax system is so complex; the IRS publishes 480 tax forms and 280 forms to explain the 480 forms. The IRS sends out eight billion pages of forms and instructions each year. The administrative costs of the tax system far exceed those borne directly by the IRS. Each year Americans devote 5.4 billion hours complying with the tax code, which is more time than it takes to build every car, truck, and van produced in the U.S.

Currently, the United States has a federal income tax that is very difficult to understand, to comply with,

The current tax system is extremely complicated and punishes those who are successful by taxing people more than the average citizens. If flat tax were to be in the United States it would create fairness within the economy and be less complicated. Flat tax would not punish people for having higher income; instead flat tax would create equality to all tax payers. The taxpayers would not be complaining to the neighbors or their close relatives about their tax rates and how different they are from each other. Despite the fact that federal employees would be out of jobs, the United States should have flat tax implemented because flat tax spans all income brackets of taxpayers and would have low rates with no deductions or exemptions.

The supporters of the Flat Tax system are quick to point out this system's attributes but not as quickly as the criticisms by those who oppose it. The filing of taxes each year would be much easier because there would be one set rate to pay. This type of system also discourages, and makes it almost impossible, to find and use any existing schemes that are present to avoid paying taxes. However, because there is a set rate at which everyone needs to pay, this system is quite unfair. Those who earn and have a lot of money should not pay the same amount as someone who has only a fraction of their wealth. The wealthier you are, the more you should pay because you can afford it. If there is a set tax rate it would be too high to some people and pocket change to others. A system like this also takes away many, if not all tax deductions. An event like this would cause irreparable injury to the middle class, who often times rely heavily on money they will get back from tax deductions.

There are also some ways the flat tax system does not benefit taxpayers. It penalizes the low-income population because we all rich and poor have to spend money on the same things, such as food, housing and clothing. People with lower income would have less to spend on these things with a flat tax. A flat tax would benefit only the rich, because they would have more money left. It eliminates a back-up revenue source for the government, because the government relies heavily on revenue generated from income taxes.

We have all heard the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin who stated, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” (“Benjamin Franklin Quotes”) We find this to be true as we begin working and feel the pain of money being taken from our paychecks. Then we face the chore of having to file income taxes yearly. Although there are many taxes we are subject to, most people are referring to federal income tax when they complain about taxes. There has been debate for decades about the current system but there has been no agreement on how to fix it. The United States currently has a progressive tax code which means people pay taxes according to their earnings. This has been in place since the time of Abraham Lincoln. An alternative

A country’s tax code is the government document which details the rules and methods by which citizens of a state must give a portion of their salary to their state’s government. The United States tax code is currently 74,608 pages long with over 2 million words. The main source of tax related problems is the fact that the tax code itself is so complicated that is is no longer efficient. The Tax Foundation predicts that Americans will spend nearly 9 billion hours filing their taxes this year. This should be cause for alarm - such a complicated tax code is impossible to work with and destined to only get worse, and the call for a complete reform is now greater than ever. Unfortunately, attempted tax reform proposals from the last 30 years have