Replies

Bigun wrote:
Nattering Nabob of Negativity alert!
Thus far I have seen nothing but attempts to tear down a full scale effort to actually DO something about the problems created by the current U.S Tax code from you on these threads. If you have any POSITIVE suggestions as to how to solve the problem I would LOVE to hear them but throwing up our and yelling "we're screwed" is not an option for me and, I suspect, a good many others here!

Well, there's a lot of people who are trying to do somthing even it it's wrong or won't actually accomplish the goals they are striving for. And a lot of them will be very disappointed with the end result.

As for things that can be done today to work toward a better solution, I can think of a few. Let's start with the really easy ones:

Outlaw tax withholding. Have the IRS or the SSA send a monthly bill to every taxpayer and make each taxpayer write a monthly check for the income tax, medicare and social security taxes due on their wages or salary.
This is absolutely revenue neutral. And it reduces the burden on employers. They only have to report the amount they pay their employees (that's the same reporting that will be required under the so calle "fair tax," BTW). They don't have to collect the money and remit it to the feds or keep track of exemptions or any of that any more. It should reduce some of the compliance cost of the current system. Maybe not as much as the so called "fair tax," but it's a step in the right direction.
It also makes the taxpayer very much aware of how much they are paying in taxes.
But it accomplishes these things without any huge economic convulsions from completely replacing the current system with something new and unknown.
Personalize Social Security. On a yearly or quarterly basis, refund all of the "surplus" social security taxes (anything not used to pay actual benefits to current retirees) to each taxpayer in the form of a long term bond. This bond will accrue interest into the individual's social security bond account until it matures on their 67th birthday or whenever. At that point, it pays interest in monthly checks that will partially offset the Ponzi scheme Social Security benefits (no cut in benefits, but no increase unless the bond interest exceeds the current benefits). And the taxpayer can transfer their bond principle to their heirs under some set of conditions.
This isn't the optimal or ultimate solution to the Social Security Crisis. But it does protect some of our Social Security "contributions" from the whims of future Congresses that might cut benefits or means test or whatever. It's a good first step. And the government does issue long term savings bonds, so this isn't illegal or unconstitutional.
Again, I don't propose this as a "final solution" for Social Security reform. It's merely a first step that can be taken toward incremental reform. And it should be difficult to defeat. But it opens the door to some kind of personal accounts.
If you want a simpler tax code, make that an issue. Campaign against politicians that use the tax code for social engineering and add needless complexity to it. IMO, some of the fair tax supporters are also some of the worst offenders here. I don't know if they think that screwing up the current system doesn't matter because they will replace it, or if they want to make the current system worse to increase the chances of a wholesale replacement. But they don't give me any confidence that they won't screw up the replacement just as badly.

You can fight for all of those things, and every one of those will make some incremental improvements. And I think that if the political will is there, those can be implemented much quicker than any of the more radical "ultimate solutions" currently proposed.

Well, there's a lot of people who are trying to do somthing even it it's wrong or won't actually accomplish the goals they are striving for.

I will ask you the exact same question.

What is it that makes you so absolutely certian of that outcome with regard to the FairTax proposal? Do you deny that the people of this country are, even today, the final authority over those who serve us in government and thus have the ability to make changes resulting in BETTER government for us all? If so, I would submit that you need to hear the words of one Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:

“Until one is committed, there is a hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness, concerning all acts of initiative (and creation). There is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no one could have dreamed would have come their way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”