Comment: Kudos to the panel for tackling this thorny issue. You will find that each and every deduction, credit and entitlement has its constituency and if you propose to eliminate or curtail these exceptions to universal taxation you'll have EVERYONE up in arms. Of course I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. I would suggest that you have an opportunity here to make the US far more competitive globally by making our tax system more efficient. Get rid of ALL deductions, credits, entitlements, perks, etc., including Pres. Bush's twin sacred cows: Charitable Contributions and Mortgage Interest Deductions. Get rid of them ALL! Replace the current system with a combination of a flat tax and a VAT, scaled to not hammer the poorest and most destitute among us. Get rid of the CPA's, lawyers, lobbyists and political greenmail that has perverted our political-economic-budgetary process. In your report, you have the opportunity to place the US on a path to a sustainable economic model for the 21st century. Best wishes and blessings, Stephen Cole A concerned citizen. |