Justin Ruhge
The author lives in Lompoc
We are overtaxed and, more than others, have bigger bills. So in the following are my suggestions for reform.
A FAIR AMERICAN — FLAT TAX
The United States and the states must reform their tax structures to make it more equitable for everyone. Presently, the Congress is just “fooling around with the numbers,” but not giving us tax reform. That means no IRS in the future.
Today 40% of the people pay 90% of the taxes. In addition,everyone wants to be excluded from paying any taxes by gaining special exemptions at the expense of other taxpayers.This is social redistribution of wealth and is un-American and unfair. The IRS wants to take more of your money by employing 86,000 new and armed investigators to review your returns. They want it all.
THE OBVIOUS THING TO DO
The easiest way to redo the tax system is by making the 16th Amendment to the Constitution in 1913, the income tax, a flat tax of not more than 1.5% of a person’s gross yearly income.
Flat taxes being considered by other reform groups, of 15%, 17%, and 30% are just too high and do not solve the American tax problem with their deductions, tax credits and yearly reporting.
So with a 1.5% flat tax, if you made $10,000 a year, you would pay $150 a year, and that is all. No tax returns and no taxing of your savings or any other taxes.
And if you earned a gross income of $100,000 a year, you would pay an income tax of $1,500 per year. Those earning $1 million would pay $15,000.
The same flat tax would apply to all incomes. The rich would pay more dollars than the poor but at the same rate.
This tax would be taken out of your paycheck directly like FICA is and Income tax presently is. There would be no other deductions, tax credits, or write-offs and no tax reporting. This would end the present outlandish tax code. Your savings, Social Security and stock profits would be yours, and your stock losses would be yours, etc.
Companies would report their gross incomes through a CPA and submit a check for 1.5% of gross, no write-offs, no depreciations, no exceptions, etc.
All nonprofits would pay, meaning all religious organizations, the Sierra Club, the Farm Bureau, ACORN, AARP, the Democratic Party, the Republican Party, unions, foundations, trusts, Planned Parenthood, League of Women Voters, etc. They would pay 1.5% of their gross incomes! No exceptions, no excuses, no exemptions.
Why should these hundreds of billions of dollars go untaxed at the expense of all of us middle class taxpayers? There would be NO exceptions at all. Yes, even God would pay!
Taxes could not be raised except by a supermajority in congress, but only every four years if that, and for only 0.1% at a time if approved. 5% would be the max ever allowed.
If this is not enough to run the government then cut the government to fit the taxes. But when everyone pays their fair share, there will be plenty of revenue. Americans are not here to pay for the government but to support themselves and their children.
A small, fair tax for everyone is the solution! This is real tax reform. Out with the progressive tax system.
Lets make our representatives in Congress respond to our interest in real reform. If we do not, all those new inspectors with guns will take it all.
