“Tax reform is taking the taxes off things that have been taxed in the past and putting taxes on things that haven't been taxed before.”

Just have 15% tax across the board on all income over and above expenditure with no exceptions except for those INDIVIDUALS 200% below FPL (no tax). Have a 10% retail tax and do away with all other tax and the IRS and have work detail (community services) for those individuals not paying their tax and take away the licence of company/corps to do business if tax is not paid within three months after the due date.

Heh, amuzing and true enough. Even to hire more employees like tax rebate check handlers and mailers. A tax rebate is no tax cut.

Cute saying, but not very insightful or true either... as for a flat tax or consumer/retaile, it is just another way to make sure that the primary tax burden is placed upon the poor, not those most able to carry the burdon. (200% below? what does that mean even?)

The quote is true enough -- whenever an old tax is cancelled, a new tax somewhere else takes its place. I certainly would warn those promoting a federal sales tax to make sure the income tax is repealed first -- otherwise, you will have both. That's what happened in Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand -- now they have BOTH taxes. But taxes are a mute point with a fiat money system -- no taxes are needed at all except to protect the wealthy. Where do you think the taxes go? To the super-rich!! It is a scam that has worked for hundreds of years.

We're going to miss you very much Art. Sometimes your humor goes over the head - as it should. It's one of the drawbacks of sophistication. Thanks for your humor for all these years.

Problem is, additional things are being taxed, while continuing taxes already in place. Half your salary goes to the government (federal, state, local) in the form of taxes and fees. Don't believe me? Start with income tax, property tax, gas tax ... don't forget bank fees.

Taxes are bad

Tax reform is just like the tax code itself. a convoluted shell game. So poorly defined as to be unintelligible, and enforcable in any fashion seen fit by the "authorities". And Archer is right, the set up we have is designed to control all of us and keep the super rich...super rich. Its a criminal enterprise.

We have swallowed the Reagan Republican line "tax and spend Democrats" and thus elected him and them and they put us into 10 trillion dollars debt. Tax and spend is better than what they did borrow and spend. Now as Jefferson said it is time for our oppression. We must tax and pay off the debt. Robert who is going to examine or audit those income tax and sales tax returns. Nothing gets done without enforcement, you know like bank auditors and stuff. States have sales tax auditors. Law is a living thing. The reason it seems complex is because each new set of law makers tinker with it. I once made an effort at making and selling a food product wholesale. I had to research city, county and state law. City laws apply to restaurants, county laws I forget, and then state laws to wholesale food production. Laws and amendments pile up over the years. But there is no solution to this concept of living law because it is written by successions of living men. If we had one astute person say a dictator who would just lay it down for us to follow for the res of eternity then wouldn't that be nice. I mean for the simpletons among us that would be nice. The tax code is not nearly as complex as you wish to think it is. Most of it does not apply to you so you don't have to worry about that part, like if you are not an avocado or hazlenut grow ignore that section. Don't try to understand things you don't need to understand. Taxes were substantially reduced by Bush while things were going along nicely at the end of Clinton's term, surpluses as far as the eye could see and a pay off of our 4 trillion dollar debt by in ten years - 2010. Well we elected a borrow and spend President and we did exactly what he wanted to do borrow and spend, By 2010 we will be 10 trillion dollars in debt. The rich the Chineese and the Russians are getting rich and richer off that debt as we the American people pay them their interest.

Waff, don't forget that Clinton had a Republican congress for the last 6 of his 8 years. That was back when Republicans didn't act like Democrats.

Taxation is a burden of any form. The effort to survive is taxing on one's life. Eventually, by the dictates of old age the taxing wear and tear on the body is what puts us in the grave. Whether we work for ourselves and receive the benefits thereof or those benefits are "taxed" by others, this basic law of nature does not change. Even the super rich will die simply for waking up in the morning and exerting whatever energy it takes to get out of bed. Taxation on the labor of others via their criminal system of forced debt and the taxation to repay it is only to make their survival easier at the expense of others labor which of course, by the natural result of theft, makes survival harder for the laborer. The power to tax is the power to destroy. Just as the taxations imposed by nature of energy used for personal survival destroys ones physical life during the time of his life, so the taxation of men by men.

Beware when politicians talk of Tax Reform. They surely aren't planning to cut any taxes, you can bet on that.

kinda funny based on kinda truth - More often than not, a slave's tax is added without taking away another tax. An income tax, a flat tax, a sales tax or any direct / capitation / tribute tax are not issues in a free society.

Waffler, you need to read Archer's post. In a fiat 'debt' system such as now exists, the 2nd plank of the communist manifesto, or other enslaving taxing operation, serves no other purpose than to control the masses. If current Amerika would reduce itself to a pre-War of Northern aggression (operations, money system, etc.) and then, remove all unnecessary and unconstitutional elements from the body politic, freedom, liberty, inalienable rights of individual sovereigns and justice would once again have an opportunity at natural law to improve the lot of man.