🚀 go-pugleaf

>The best tax is no tax. However, since we all know that is not going to 
>happen because of the overspending by our governments, State and 
>National. Therefore, here are some proposals.
>
>1. A national lottery instead of taxes.

I fear we the people might be, for the amounts needed to be raised,
lottery'd out. About all they could do is compete for the money going
into existing state and local lotteries and that could get unpleasant
(not to mention that we the people may not come out ahead in such a
struggle since somewhere the money still has to come from, if the fed
manages to shift it away from the states' lotteries then the states
would need to find other sources to replace it, probably taxes,
assuming they don't just stop spending money, I knew someone was going
to suggest that...)

>2. A flat rate income tax of no greater than 10% with no deductions on 
>everybody no matter of income or source of income. No income tax on 
>business. Do away with Sales tax, property tax, real estate tax etc...
>Eliminate most of government services and pay for what you want 
>individually.

This would be within reason to me, tho I'd have a minimum income below
which you don't pay any tax at all and just figure out the appropriate
percentage from there.

I'd also have it completely managed by employers (by individuals only
where self-employed or investment or similar income.) It'd be pretty
damned stupid to have employers send in their 941 quarterly reports on
income paid employees, withold that money and send it to the govt, and
ALSO make individuals account for it all again on April 15th.

In fact, it's pretty damned stupid right now for the vast majority of
working people (this game where tens of millions more or less just
copy the numbers from the W-4 they get in Jan to the 1040x, stick a
stamp on it and send it in, hey, save me the time and trouble and I
promise I will buy one good 32c stamp from the USPO and flush it down
the toilet, I promise, I realize they take in around US$30M on those
stamps every April.)

>3. Tax all sin. (beer, wine, cigarettes, Playboy,condoms, 
>abortions, etc...) This will raise a lot of taxes or morality will 
>subside.

This you don't want (or I don't want.) You don't want the gov't, a
decidedly interested party, defining legal sin for you (they do it too
much already.) *You* say, generously, beer, wine, cigarettes...they
say...? Sports cars? More gas than you need to get back and forth from
work? Any heating costs to get your home above 60 degrees in the
winter or A/C energy costs to get it below say 80 in the summer? More
than one good pair of shoes? All sports, rock & roll, anything that
old pickle-puss Jesse Helms can personally live without? No thanks.

Be careful what you wish for.

(condoms?)

>4. Go to war with Japan or some other country and lose. Then they can 
>support us.

You have to be willing to put up with the mortality rates.

>5. Establish an ignorance tax on stupidity. A lot of us would be paying 
>this one for the American people can see what going on around them in 
>that their country is going to hell in a hand basket.

This is a poorly constructed sentence, $15 please.

>6. NO SALES TAX. What did the government do to deserve it?

What did the govt do to deserve anything if that's the attitude.

An appropriately structured nat'l sales tax in lieu of income tax has
its appeal.

The problem is, what we got ain't in lieu of nuttin', tax it coming
in, tax it going out, tax it if it stands still.

The game is really much simpler and doesn't need quite so much
emotion.

The federal govt appears to need, what is it these days? Around two
trillion dollars/year? There are (very) roughly 300M people in the
US. That means around (oh gak lessee, 2x10^12 / 3 x 10^8 ummm 2/3 x
10^4) around $7000 per person per year, or about double that if you
only count working people (tho a bit less if you include people not
exactly working but with income or wealth, call it $10K/person/year in
broad averages.)

So you can pay it income taxes, or sales taxes, or lotteries (nah), or
find anything you do around 1000 times per year and we can charge you
$10 per each (I dunno, how often do you stop in the bathroom?  Around
3x a day? 365 days/year...? hmm.)

The only difference is that each form of collection has slightly
different distribution and "fairness" properties. And will modify
behavior in most cases. Thus, if we do impose a $10 tax on each time
you go to the john you can be certain there'd be a whole lot more
people sitting with their legs crossed and looking mildly distressed,
you betcha, where right now they merely sit and look distressed.

-- 
        -Barry Shein

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