It's April 15th and that can only mean one thing...it's tax day. Hope everyone has already filled out and sent in your tax forms. If not, I hope you've got a good book to read while you wait in in line at the post office.
In honor of tax day, here are a few nuggets to keep in mind...
- Many of us remember that one of the battle cries of the Revolutionary War was "No taxation without representation." The Boston Tea Party was one of the cornerstones of the war, designed to protest an "unfair" tax. The tax: 1 percent.
- According to the figures released by the IRS on their web site, 50 percent of the "wealthiest" Americans pay 96.4% of taxes. By the way--if you made more than $28,000 adjusted gross income in 2001 (this is the latest year they have figures through) you are among the "wealthiest" Americans out there. And yet, Congress feels we should pay more.
There's a great song out there that was covered by Ray Stevens. It's called "If 10% Is Good Enough for Jesus." I can't help but agree. If we did away with our current tax system, went to a flat 10% tax (15% if we must) that EVERYONE regardless of income level paid, I think we'd be better off.
- First of all, the Lord, who created the universe and without whom we'd have nothing said that He could run His kingdom of 10%. Why can't we run our worldly kingdom on that much?
- Next up--out of that 10%, no deductions for any reason. Everyone pays. Then, instead of arguing about how to collect the money or how much to take, we could instead look silly things like how best to use it. Congress might also be able to turn their attention to such important things as Social Security reform so some of us might have access to it when we retire instead of worrying about new ways to tax us.
- Having the 10% tax would be helpful to us also because it would allow our accountant friends to see and interact with their families in Febraury through April. Also, by not having to work on taxes 24/7 during that time, it woud allow them to help the rest of us create better retirement plans and invest for our futures.
- Finally, it'd mean that maybe, just maybe, you and I could actually sit down, do our taxes in a simple, clear, concise fashion without having to devote 12 or 13 hours to filling out the forms. A flat 10% tax means it'd take all of five minutes to fill out the forms.
Of course, this plan makes a lick of common sense, so that means Congress won't touch it with a ten foot pole.
posted by Michael Hickerson at 4/15/2005 07:29:00 AM |
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