Subject: Great Assessment...Poor Recommendations Comment: The Panel's stated assessment of the tax collection system, published April 13, seems to be "dead-on", however the recently released recommendation drastically retreats from suggesting any significant changes. If this Panel only takes minor steps to revise the current system, it will be viewed as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. The Panel will be viewed as a failure that succumbed to lobbyists and the status quo. Don't you see that the country is ready for a serious change on this matter? Be bold and look at serious paradigm changes! It doesn't appear that you've really analyzed some of the current alternatives that could make a serious difference and address the objectives that you so eloquently described in your April statement. Those alternatives may not be perfect and may need revisions, but some offer serious improvements over today's system, especially the national sales tax. Though it may be the one alternative most hated by the special interest groups and politicians, it appears to most effectively address the objectives that you stated back in April. You should also seriously consider laying out a clear set of priorities for any overhaul. For example, can you answer the question as to what is more important, a progressive system that hits the wealthier harder or one that minimizes the ability of politicians to influence their political agendas through the tax collection system? That may seem like apples and oranges, but there are many disparate priorities that need to be defined and debated, and each alternative solutions will score differently in each priority category. I'd love to see a clear debate and scoring of those priorities and how each alternative stacks up against those priorities. Again, be bold about articulating the country's priorities and let that be the basis of debate that the President and Congress can lead as this process goes to the next stage. Otherwise, we'll wind up with solutions that have much less consensus since it will be unclear as to what objectives are really being addressed. You have a great opportunity to make a huge difference in where this country goes in the next couple of decades. Don't blow it by reverting to politics as usual -- we're all about fed up with that! |