A Few Ideas to Fix the Tax System
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Fair and Unfair
Marx came up with the idea that a government should impose a heavy and graduated income tax.
I find it grossly unfair that a chain smoking lazy slob can collect unemployment or food stamps when a hard working person that works himself or herself almost literally to death can pay the taxes that fund that slob's laziness.
This was not addressed at those who cannot help themselves. Make no mistake: there are freeloaders that abuse the system. There are fakes who pretend to be disabled. The social security system was designed for such persons as those who are born blind, those who are quadriplegics, those who suffer from debilitating destructive diseases. Someone with a "bad back" who sits on the sofa all day watching television, eating chips, and smoking cigarettes while secretly selling an illegal stash of who-knows-what is not someone WE TAXPAYERS should be supporting.
It is not fair that someone who works a full time job should pay a heavy tax so that some la-de-dah can go play bingo all day long.
I'm sure you have your own gripes, and I'm sure you know at least one person who lives on easy street accepting government checks when he or she really could work if he or she really wanted to do so. I know that jobs are scarce; but work is not scarce, and there are places of charity that cannot get enough help at any point or time who would appreciate those of us who cannot find work getting off our posteriors and getting something done in this nation.
A Possible Fix
I say we abolish the income tax completely. Do away with it. Why do we need it?
Of course the government needs funds. I have a way to get it more funds than it ever wanted or needed.
Ready for this?
Free enterprise.
Let it be. Let it go. Why should the drug dealers get all the tax breaks? Why should they make boatloads of illegal money upon which they certainly pay no income tax? It's ridiculous.
If anyone and everyone could go mow lawns, scrub floors, sell candy, or do whatever else they find that can make a little modest boost to their income, free and clear of any government's hand standing over them and waiting to take it away, more of us would work much harder to get much further financially.
If we feel we are free to make all we want without Big Brother bullying us for his share, the relief will fuel the fire of industry and industrious behavior.
When we have more money changing hands in the economy, we will generate more sales tax revenues for all levels of government. Sales tax is a fair tax for all. Everyone pays the same rate. Everyone knows what to expect. Heck, even a stupid drug dealer has to pay sales tax if he wants to buy food at the grocery store. Even he doesn't get out of it.
If the government wants to raise the sales tax by a couple percentage points in exchange for getting its hands off of our income, I am all for it.
If the government further wants to save taxpayer money by shutting down the IRS (please don't cheer so loudly, I am trying to write), I am all for that as well. Imagine: one whole bureaucracy, gone. (Okay now, go ahead and cheer!)
If the loopholes that the rich exploit to stay rich are gone, all will pay a fair and substantial tax. Liberty will reign in our finances once again. Justice will be distributed in the form of a fair and flat tax that everybody, everywhere pays the same rate on.
Social Security
Social security for the aged should remain in place. Our increased sales taxes should guarantee that they are cared for. No matter what, an honorable society takes care of its aging members among whom wisdom resides, and whose experience and hard work should be treasured.
I think everyone who goes on social security should get the same check. Flat rate again. We should do some research to see what would be fair and reasonable, and then put everyone on the exact same rate of pay. Individual persons should not decide when to "retire" and go on Social Security. Rather, if you turn a certain age, you are handed the check, even if you decide to go ahead and work some more. Work is good. Go for it if you can! And remember, those who work and/or those who receive checks will STILL be paying sales tax, and will still be generating still more income in a now-active economy.
The soul of an economy is exchange. We must have more money (real money, not merely printed up) to exchange with. If we want to get the wheels moving, we need to use our brains to get this buggy out of the mud.
Hitch up that elephant, and don't forget the donkey! Both can pull together if we want to get things moving forward. That doesn't mean we compromise and sign a bill with which we solidy disagree. It does mean that we care more about helping the USA than about attending the next party, gala, or ball.
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As a young liberal working with the 'needy' on a government program many years ago, I discovered that most were just lazy slugs who knew how to milk the system. Only a few were actually needy.
We should junk the income tax, repeal the 16th Amendment, get rid of the thousands upon thousands of hidden taxes, junk all corporate taxes, and collect all taxes in the form of national, state, county, and city sales taxes. That way, everybody pays their fair share, and nobody gets a free ride.
You would still need a bureaucracy to deal with the sales tax, and how much more paper work for retailers? What's to stop the government from raising the sales tax till we can't afford to buy anything? Liberals aren't good at math, they can't figure out that a percentage is a percentage; when prices go up so does their percentage. But what do they say? And they've done this; the sales tax hasn't been raised, it's time to raise the sales tax. Look at CA. I think a flat 10% tax is more do-able.
Nick and Pintoman:
A flat tax would IMO be second best, but still better than what we're doing now. I would be open to that sort of change in plan. Thanks for your comments.
WillStar: I agree on the lazy slugs milking the system. Thanks for stopping by.
...if you could just get this post to all the elected officials...they could use a dose of 'common sense'.
rlw
Thank you, rwelton. Do you have any ideas on how to get them to read it? :)
I wrote a hub regarding the fact that many working people are required to take random drug tests, but welfare recipients are not. Some agreed this was not fair, while others thought it would be horrible to ask welfare applicants to pee test to get their so called entitlements. I saw on the news where the State of Florida is now requiring drug testing for new welfare applicants. This of course was met with opposition and law suits from the ACLU. This should prove interesting before it is over with.
I like your ideas on tax reform. I could live with that.
Thank you, Poolman. I agree with you: welfare recipients should be able to pass the test so they don't funnel taxpayer money into illegal activities.
Here here! There are too many who abuse and milk the system in this country, and it is draining us tax payers to death! In order to care for those who are truly in need, we need to find ways to prevent fakers and swindlers from sucking up the lion's share of the available funds. You make a good point that jobs may be scarce, but work is not. I believe that every able bodied person who receives govn't assistance should work in some capacity. Handing out checks with no accountability is a recipe for disaster, as countries all over Europe, and now our own, are finding out.
Nick Lucas 8 months ago
a flat tax rate of say 10% would increase revenue and be more fare to all. If the governemnt would just lower the tax rate and cut all of the loop holes more people would pay as opposed to using CPA's to find deductions and recuce their tax liabailty.