[EXCH54FE]

“I'd actually rather an income tax, and a flat-rate, with no exemptions no write-offs, no credits, no rebates, and no withholding”

Correct me if I an wrong, but is that not how our current income tax started?? Way back when the income tax was 1% on only the high income earners. Why should the Government know about out income?

We can now collect sales tax on “New” items without any problems. Point of sale can forward the $$ to the Treasury same as they do now at the state level. No forms required, it may not be perfect but it is a lot better than what we have now.

[OneWingedShark]

“I'd actually rather an income tax, and a flat-rate, with no exemptions no write-offs, no credits, no rebates, and no withholding”
Correct me if I an wrong, but is that not how our current income tax started?? Way back when the income tax was 1% on only the high income earners. Why should the Government know about out income?

Perhaps; but if I had my way it'd be a part-and-parcel of 2 Constitutional Amendments, summarized as follows
Money:

1. Sec 1 - Strips Congress of the ability to set value to the Dollar
2. Sec 2 - Sets the value of the Dollar, in terms of avoirdupois ounces of Gold (99.9% pure)
3. Sec 3 - Reiterates the value of Sec 2 in approximate international units. (To guard against congress [ab]using weights and measures to get around Sec 1.)
4. Sec 4 - All payments by the federal government to States or Citizens must be Gold.
5. Sec 5 - The treasury must yearly make an accounting of gold physically in its possession; this report shall be public.
6. Sec 6 - "The Congress shall incur no debt which shall cause the total debt of the United States to exceed 110% of the value of the gold reported by the Treasury."
7. Sec 7 - Any government official, agent, employee, or judge which causes gold to be confiscated from a citizen will be tried for theft, and upon conviction:
   
   1. Be fired immediately.
   2. Lose all pension and retirement benefits.
   3. Restore twice that which was confiscated to the bereaved.
   4. Pay any and all legal fees.

Tax:

1. Sec 1 - Eliminates and prohibits all federal taxes except: proportional or flat-rate on the citizen's income, but not both.
2. Sec 2 - If income is taxed federally, then the rate shall be 1%, 5%, or 10% as the Congress may determine; paid to the federal government directly.
3. Sec 3 - No State, or subdivision thereof or municipality, shall apply a varying rate on incomes taxed.
4. Sec 4 - Explicit re-affirmation of the Federal government's power to lay duties and tariffs on international trade/shipping.

We can now collect sales tax on “New” items without any problems. Point of sale can forward the $$ to the Treasury same as they do now at the state level. No forms required, it may not be perfect but it is a lot better than what we have now.

This is true; but it won't go that way... it'll be put on all sales and thereby feed the beast in an unseen manner [like withholdings do now].