Comment: Dear Members of the Commission, I certainly hope that all of you will perform your task in a manner that benefits the citizens of this great country, reduces government size and at the same time creates some of the income needed to provide funds that will help balance the Budget. Yours is a task that been asked of many others in the past, but they have either failed in their efforts or that some branch of the Government has refused to follow through. Please do not allow the pressure from outside interests or bureaucratic empires influence your recommendations. Use whatever means are available to you to convince the powers to be to take steps in simplifying and updating our tax code. In my personal opinion filing of personal income taxes should be made so simple that they can be filed on a 3X5 card. Personal deductions, except for dependents, should be eliminated but the percentage of tax paid on income should be adjusted or a flat tax incorporated. Today's tax code is cumbersome and complicated, sure changes like this would affect the companies like H&R Block and accounting firms, but the changes must be made for benefit of the majority of our citizens and our Government. For our seniors one of two or both things must happen to give them relief in paying for costly medical care, prescriptions, and insurances. Either eliminate the tax on Social Security payments and or at age 72 eliminate Federal Income Taxes altogether. By the time we reach 72 I think that enough financial support has been given to the country and at that age it has come time for a pay back. In addition, I read that there is concern we are not saving enough. why do think that is, are we living too high or is there some other reason? To help stimulate savings, and I don't mean IRA's or some other vehicle that was devised by Congress and the banking industry, there should be a ceratin amount of interest from Savings Accounts, CD's or other such instruments that is exempt from taxes, say the first $5000.00 in interest. The idea in Congress that $40000.00 or $ 50,000.00 a year in total income puts a senior or anyone else in the upper class of income earners is absolutely ridiculous. If that is true why do they keep giving themselves raises that increases the gap between themselves and the average middle income wage earner ? Sure there are a lot of people that earn way less than that, but they also earn a great deal less than those that set on either side of aisle. Ask yourselves what is the average family and individual income in this country today ? How much does one need to live on and raise a family or maintain life, and I don't mean maintain a certain life style, I mean maintain life with a roof over your head ? By going to a simplified tax just think of how much money can be saved by reducing the IRS payroll. In fact, what good is the IRS, they can't answer the populace's questions correctly. When they give incorrect answers and a person files on it thinking they got the right info right from the horse's mouth, the IRS will come after them without accepting any blame. Sounds to me like the old IRS. With today's advances in electronics and communications the change over should be quick and effective as long as a firm from the private sector is in charge and not the IRS or some other inefficient governmental agency. Thank you for the opportunity to express my opinions and thoughts regarding the monumental task before you. Sincerely, Joseph Gregg joeg822@adelphia.net |