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How to Control the IRS
American Thinker ^ | 4/15/2014 | Jon N. Hall

Posted on 04/15/2014 3:57:38 AM PDT by markomalley

Americans despise and fear the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS has been discriminating against, and has even persecuted, conservative groups. The IRS will soon be policing ObamaCare compliance with thousands of new agents.The IRS is no longer just a collection agency. The IRS even has its own SWAT teams. Something needs to be done about the IRS.

The way to get control over the IRS is through tax reform. Several tax reform plans, such as the one from the Bowles-Simpson commission, have proposed the same thing: ridding the Tax Code of its exceptions. Exceptions are the exemptions, deductions, credits, write-offs, loopholes, and gimmicks that allow taxpayers to pay less than their tax rates would indicate.

These plans are headed in the right direction, but they don’t go far enough. What they should recommend is the complete elimination of all exceptions. That would allow for the lowest rates possible that would still bring in the same revenue. Eliminating all exceptions dictates setting the new tax rates to their current effective rates, what folks actually pay. So if one currently has an effective income tax rate of, say, 10 percent, under the new system that taxpayer would have a statutory income tax rate of 10 percent. The new low rates would be levied against every dollar of income.

I’ve written about this tax reform idea here, but I didn’t give readers an idea of what their new tax rates would be. People may be surprised at how low their new rates would be under this idea.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Government
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1 posted on 04/15/2014 3:57:38 AM PDT by markomalley
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To: markomalley

Close it...all of it. Go to flat tax...problem fixed...easy-peesy.


2 posted on 04/15/2014 4:12:00 AM PDT by Dubh_Ghlase (Therefore, send not to know For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee.)
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To: markomalley

The problem of taxing income lies not in the rates or the progression of rates, or even with “exceptions” intended to reduce the burden on the “poor” (whatever that means).

It is with the very definition of “income.” Wages? Capital gains (long or short)? Dividends? and on and on. And what about the notion of “imputed income”? What is the value of all those welfare freebies and handouts?

The solution is a consumption tax applied to all end-use purchases, with a rebate to every person (not “family”) each year of a fixed amount.

Taxing only end-use purchases prevents multiple taxation. Taxation at points prior to end-use are necessarily paid by all subsequent purchasers, not by the producer, because the producer must make a profit net of taxes.

A fixed rebate eliminates the tax burden on everyone below a certain consumption level (yes some very low level consumers might actually make a net profit), and rapidly causes the net tax rate to reach a fixed, flat level once consumption exceeds the threshold represented by the rebate.


3 posted on 04/15/2014 4:16:12 AM PDT by motor_racer (Who will bell the cat?)
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To: markomalley
Control[ing] the IRS...

A household pest.

The IRS should be treated like pantry moths or earwigs.

Squashed.

4 posted on 04/15/2014 4:26:56 AM PDT by C210N (When people fear government there is tyranny; when government fears people there is liberty)
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To: markomalley
In the end, we should just tax consumption instead of the process of earning money--the way the Founding Fathers intended in the first place.

By no longer taxing the process of earning money, that means income, pensions, bank account interest, capital gains and stock dividend payments are no longer taxed--and it means our banks will be fully-funded, the stock market will be WAY stronger, and there is WAY more incentive to operate a business here, since you don't have to factor in income taxes as the cost of running your business. And that means a roaring economy.

5 posted on 04/15/2014 4:37:24 AM PDT by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's economic cure)
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To: C210N

I am NO FAN of the IRS and never will be. Despite the desire of all of us to eliminate the IRS, I do NOT see that happening anytime soon. Ideally, the entire tax system would be completely overhauled or eliminated by implementing a flat tax. How will that ever happen unless the entire country votes AGAINST the demodummies?


6 posted on 04/15/2014 4:38:44 AM PDT by DaveA37
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To: markomalley

The irs is the engine of income redistribution.
First, by who it hires. Overwhelmingly affirmative action.
Second, by what it does. Takes money from those who earn it honestly, and gives it to those who faithfully vote democrat.


7 posted on 04/15/2014 4:47:40 AM PDT by I want the USA back (Media: completely irresponsible traitors. Complicit in the destruction of our country.)
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To: markomalley

No mention of the FAIR TAX which would eliminate the need for the irs.FAIL.


8 posted on 04/15/2014 4:50:45 AM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life's tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: markomalley

Abolish withholding. Problem solved.


9 posted on 04/15/2014 4:52:33 AM PDT by abb
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To: RayChuang88
In the end, we should just tax consumption instead of the process of earning money--the way the Founding Fathers intended in the first place.

Agreed
10 posted on 04/15/2014 4:53:59 AM PDT by cripplecreek (REMEMBER THE RIVER RAISIN!)
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To: markomalley

Why do we continue to be saddled with an income tax, at all? Switch to a consumption tax, ala the Fair Tax (less the prebate garbage, unless you are also going to dump welfare), and scrap the IRS completely.
The collection mechanism is already in place via the current sales tax and state tax collection processes, and the control remains much more local than the current fedgov mess.
Dump the tax code as we know it, and no more income tax filing.

Just sayin’

And, save the flames. I’ve heard them all, and it still is not more sensible to tax income rather than consumption.


11 posted on 04/15/2014 5:02:03 AM PDT by PubliusMM (RKBA; a matter of fact, not opinion. 01-20-2016; I pray we make it that long.)
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To: motor_racer

Here is the problem with his argument.

It doesn’t take into accout that when a rat is in office, he will raise the rate. And the libs in the house and senate will go along with that.


12 posted on 04/15/2014 5:03:43 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz ("Heck of a reset there, Hillary")
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To: markomalley

Tax reform (while good for its own sake) is a half assed measure for reigning in government overreach.

The A9 Ace to bulldoze most of this crap away is simply to remove non jury courts in their entirety. Thus jury nullification is restored to its proper role as a counter balance.

No tax courts.
No traffic courts.
Nada.


13 posted on 04/15/2014 5:05:33 AM PDT by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.)
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To: PubliusMM

The IRS isn’t going anywhere. Anyone trying to tell you it will under a national sales tax is either a retard or a liar. It will just get a new job and lots more yummy power. If you think an income tax audit is intrusive (and they are. I’ve been there), just wait until you have to prove you paid sales tax on every item in your home.


14 posted on 04/15/2014 5:10:32 AM PDT by Orangedog (An optimist is someone who tells you to 'cheer up' when things are going his way)
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To: markomalley
"That would allow for the lowest rates possible that would still bring in the same revenue.

That's a start, as the cost of compiling with the income tax runs into the dozens of billions of dollar, which is a total dead weight loss to taxpayers.

Of course, taxes are too high, the income tax is propably unconstitutional and there's a sketchy approval history. The Federal Government should have no role in taxing individuals.

The goal has to be the elimination of the income tax and the IRS. Reforms toward that goal are good, but keep the goal in mind.

15 posted on 04/15/2014 5:12:20 AM PDT by Jabba the Nutt (You can have a free country or government schools. Choose one.)
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To: Orangedog
The IRS will essentially become the collection agency for the revenue generated by FairTax. And that means the size of the agency can be cut by 80% or more. And it also means 95% lower yearly tax compliance costs--instead of an estimated US$430 billion per year, it will be like US$21.5 billion per year. That's US$408.5 billion per year now spent on tax compliance freed up for way more productive use.
16 posted on 04/15/2014 5:31:25 AM PDT by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's economic cure)
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To: RayChuang88

Who is telling you that lie?


17 posted on 04/15/2014 5:59:31 AM PDT by Orangedog (An optimist is someone who tells you to 'cheer up' when things are going his way)
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To: markomalley

Every IRS “reform” effort has resulted in a more intrusive, more oppressive, mind-numbingly complex agency. It’s obvious that our elected officials don’t really want to rein in the monstrosity known as the IRS. If our senators and representatives really wanted to do the right thing they’d abolish the IRS and replace it with a National Retail Sales Tax. The inherent simplicity and fairness of the NRST, however, is repulsive to our masters. The IRS enables our masters to control the peons while the NRST would bestow freedom upon American citizens.


18 posted on 04/15/2014 6:56:19 AM PDT by lakecumberlandvet (Appeasement never works.)
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To: markomalley

How about using a consumption tax,but revenue is distributed from the bottom up,instead of top down? Tax revenues would go to local needs first,then state,& finally to feds. The 3 tax entities could fight it out amongst themselves as to who gets what. Why tax at fed level & then filter it back to state/local? Money going through all those hands creates waste.


19 posted on 04/15/2014 7:28:54 AM PDT by oldtech
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To: markomalley

How many of you live in a state where the residents are abused for their political actions by their state sales tax department?

That should give you a clue as to how to reform the federal tax system.


20 posted on 04/15/2014 7:41:59 AM PDT by old curmudgeon
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