Do you think that eliminating withholding and making people pay their taxes in one lump some annually (or monthly whatever) would have any effect on government spending?
That is an example of how changing the way we collect taxes would indeed have an effect on government spending - without waiting another 8 decades for spending cuts. jmho
When I say spending cuts, I mean real spending cuts. As in actually budgeting less money to certain matters receiving more than they need today and pork barrel projects.
Congress is unable to do it by themselves, having gotten fat off our labors. So, we taxpayers have to mount the effort for government to actually spend less money where can be.
Simply collecting the same amount of money differently, as a "revenue neutral" system must be, encourages them to just keep on spending.
It's time for the fourth branch of the government, "we the people," to stand up and make our demands heard.
How can any tax reform give relief as long as the government receives the same amount of money to squander as they feel? As long as they can raise taxes as they see fit, even under the Fair Tax proposition, there is nothing to force them to actually spend less. They are our servants, not our rulers. We need to remind them of that.
Businesses have to cut the fat to survive. No reason government can't also.
How do we do it? Try running and electing candidates that wish to actually serve the people, not go and build a career or a legacy of power, for starters.
Our budget problems and over taxation isn't due to how taxes are collected, it's because of how it is spent!