Flat Tax System Imposed On Iraq

Washington Post ^ | 11/02/03 | Dana Milbank and Walter Pincus

[Pokey78]

U.S. Administrator Orders 15% Rate

The flat tax, long a dream of economic conservatives, is finally getting its day -- not in the United States, but in Iraq.

It took L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Baghdad, no more than a stroke of the pen Sept. 15 to accomplish what eluded the likes of publisher Steve Forbes, former representative Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.), former senator Phil Gramm (R-Tex.) and former representative Richard K. Armey (R-Tex.) over the course of a decade and two presidential campaigns.

"The highest individual and corporate income tax rates for 2004 and subsequent years shall not exceed 15 percent," Bremer wrote in Coalition Provisional Authority Order Number 37, "Tax Strategy for 2003," issued last month.

Voila, Iraq has a flat tax, and the 15 percent rate is even lower than Forbes (17 percent) and Gramm (16 percent) favored for the United States. And, unless a future Iraqi government rescinds it, the flat tax will remain long after the Americans have left.

[jocon307]

"It took L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. administrator in Baghdad, no more than a stroke of the pen..."

Stroke of the pen, law of the land, as some Clintoon sychophant said.

All kidding aside, me & my boss (he's a total dem) are both in favor of a flat tax. I'm the bookeeper, I'm pretty sure we are right.

Almost feels that guarantees we'll never get it.

I tell him to vote Pubbie, but he won't.

[taxcontrol]

My dream is a constitutional amendment that repeals income tax and authorizes sales tax.

My second dream is a constitutional amendment that establishes the percentages required to pass a budget.
For example, if the budget remains steady or spends less than previous years - simple majority.

If it increases spending by an amount that is less than the previous years rate of inflation - 55%.

If it increases it more than the rate of inflation - 60%.

If it is not a balanced budget an additional 5% is required.

If Congress does not pass the budget by 00:01 on the new fiscal year, then the previous budget is automaticly reinstated at a 2% reduction for each department and Congress may not change the automaticly reinstated budget during the fiscal year.

[still dreaming]

[nmh]

As a conservative, I can only envy them for that. It has been proven that the national sales taz approach punishes very low income the most.

[azcap]

I used to favor the flat tax over the NST for selfish reasons

1. Through careful planning it is easy avoid a lot of income tax but hard to avoid the NST.

2. As a business owner I didn't want the added hassle of collecting an NST.

But now I have come to favor the NST for a simple reason. With an NST, the government has no reason to know how much or how little I make. Your private finances would be private again. My mother taught me that it was rude to ask someone how much money they make - and my mom is always right.  The Founding Fathers would have had a cow if they knew the Federal government now monitors all aspects of your business and personal finances.

 

Now the biggest problem I see with a flat tax is that you have to constitutionally ban the income tax at the same time. If you don't do that eventually the rats, progressives, socialists, etc will get back in power and be taxing you both ways. It is also important to get states to eliminate income taxes, both for privacy reasons and for ease of calculating taxes. One  thing Forbes never mentioned that was when you finished "filling out your 5 minute postcard tax return" most folks would still have to sit downs for hours to do their state income taxes.

 

 

 

 

 

[xrp]

It has been proven that the national sales taz approach punishes very low income the most.

Huh...how is that? You're taxed on the non-essentials that you buy and the very low income people don't buy a lot of non-essentials.

[demkicker]

Well I sure hope we get rid of the terrorists over in Iraq cause now that they've got the flat tax, I'm moving there if the Hildabeast becomes prez one day:)

[arthurus]

Plus a National Sales Tax would tax the underground economy.

How?

[arthurus]

Rather have a flat income tax. Russia's tax is 13% and you don't hear them complaining. < P> Apparently those in Russia who complain are arrested these days

Actually the Russian economy which had bên sputtering and getting worse each year tõk off immediately with the flat tax gift from Mr. Putin.

[xrp]

My understanding of a consumption tax (like the Fair Tax) which give a rebate up to a certain limit matching the cost of living @ the poverty level or something like that. In a nutshell, all familes would receive reimbursements for buying a certain $$ of essentials, say $250/month in food per person and $100 in clothing per month per person. Those are just my examples.

[arthurus]

I don't like the idea of a tax on income at all but it is one of those things that you can't undo. It is possible, however that it can be modified into a flat tax system that taxes all personal income at a very low rate, perhaps even 10% or less. And you have to tax everyone's personal income, even that of the poor. Those who pay no taxes are a constituency for welfare and other government giveaways because they can't see themselvs paying for it. There lies the evil side of Republican tax cuts. Each one has removed more people from the tax rolls and thus added them to the crowd that fights for entitlements and redistribution.

[azcap]

Plus a National Sales Tax would tax the underground economy.

How?

The theory goes that with an NST your local marijuana entrepreneur will now pay his fair share when he buys 6 boxes of Twinkies and Big Gulp, and your local hooker will pay her fair share when she gets that new pair of fishnet stockings.

Reality is that illegal economies will be taxed more than before but large parts of them will still go untapped. But that's the nature of "illegal" economies. There will also be a huge increase in sales tax fraud (cash will truly be king!) All said it's miles better than whah we have now.

 

[norraad]

..better than whah ew hvea now.

sais the cow looking at grass through the fence.

[LA Conservative]

Sorry, does not sound rational to me. I believe it would spur an underground economy to evade the tax. I work in an area west of Downtown LA, almost all illegals.

Trust me, they hadve already perfected an underground economy. Only the legitimate businesses suffer.

[Principled]

...the national sales tax is my dream.

It's my dream for my children and grandchildren.
It's my dream for the future of our Nation.

[Principled]

Pols DO run on the fair tax - and successfully. Remember li'l old John Linder of Ga's 7th beating Bob Bar 2:1? Folks like the Fair Tax when they take four minutes to

check it out.

[Principled]

Fair Tax and the underground economy

[Principled]

(he's a total dem) are both in favor of a flat tax.

What does it tell you that Dems would rather die than go to a national retail sales tax?