Comment: To members of the Tax Reform Panel: We should all be equal before the law. We should all be eligible for the same benefits. And we should all be available to share the same burdens and responibilities of citizenship. Our current tax system penalizes upper income individuals in 2 ways: the greater the income, the higher the tax rate; and the greater the income, the lower the benefits for which the taxpayer is eligible. By taxing every income earner at exactly the same tax rate, while applying the same standard deduction for every individual within the household, each citizen/taxpayer would be contributing to the functioning of our government in equal proportion. There should be no deductions other than the standard deduction and the government should not distinguish between wages and salaries, dividends or interest, or capital gains when determining income tax rates. There is no simpler and fairer method of taxation than the flat tax rate. The government can manage the burden of taxation to lower income-earners through the standard deduction. The government can offset the revenues lost through the flat tax rate by ending all itemized deductions, which will have the added benefit of simplifying the entire process. A National Sales Tax would -in effect- transfer the burden of taxation from the investor class to the working class. For almost all Americans, virtually every dollar of take-home pay is spent on current consumption plus housing expenses. Applying additional taxes to the goods and services purchased by consumers won't make a difference in their economic standard of living. At best, the effect of a sales tax rather than an income tax would be neutral for almost all Americans. However, a National Sales tax would be a great boon to the top tier of income earners, who do not now spend all the income they have at their disposal under the current system. Their tax burden would be decreased and their disposable income would increase. They will have more money to invest and to further enrich themselves, thereby exacerbating the current trend toward the concentration of wealth and economic opportunity among fewer and fewer people. Arthur G. Brina 44 Broxbourne Drive Fairport, NY 14450 585-503-6687 |