What Is "Fair" Tax Policy?
 

With all of the long-winded political speeches I've seen here, I'd like to see a percentage breakdown of approximately what kind of views on tax policy (on individuals) are held around here. I've tried to present a wide range of choices in the poll.

Personally I go for the "Sweden/Austria" choice, it strikes a balance between social welfare and individual reward...

I've heard of people suggesting a National sales tax and while the idea seems like a simple, viable option at first glance, it would lend itself to huge amounts of fraud.

Ever go into a mom and pop store and offer to pay cash for a discount? They waive the sales tax and keep it off the books in order to make the discount appear steeper.

How about an auto repair shop, happens all the time.

I've supported a flat tax since the days Jerry Brown first ran on it back in 1992. The whole income tax code is a convoluted mess.

How dare you accuse anyone on this board of paying a mechanic cash to avoid sales taxes, even considering the rapacious 9% sales tax we pay in Texas! By the way, have you got change for a $50? My mechanic doesn't have any fives.

None of the above. I would enact a 4% sales tax except for food, clothing under $100*, and all but $80,000 of the price of housing**, worked down to that number from 10% over the period of 7 years.

I came up with that number (4%) from some calculations I did for trimming the budget of FY 2005. Trimmed $1.6 Trillion off of it, down to about $380billion.



*If you are poor, you dont need $140 Air Jordans.
** For instance: $150,000 house, $70,000 of it is taxable at the time of sale.

I'm for a flat tax with a minimum amount under which you pay no tax, say $40K indexed to inflation.

Mo' you're the only one who has suggested a direct way to help the low income--let them keep their own money.

Makes me a sort of minority around here...

You should seek protected status.

Think I could get a break on my tuition or a minority scholarship? :D ;)

National healthcare is a direct way to help low income people as right now they are either not insured (and therefore in danger of having a health problem ruin their financial situation) or they are paying more in premiums. (healthcare costs are way up).

Because of the HMO/insurers constant underpaying and doctors' overcharging, healthcare is something that has become too expensive for many people to afford - even if they can keep more of their money.

Just return the top-bracket rates to 39.6% as under Clinton and we'd be well on our way to paying for national healthcare.

Actually, healthcare didnt bankrupt people before the government started putting its hands in it and people weren't suing doctors for ludicrious sums of money, forcing insurance with insane premiums to be required to practice.


BTW, taxing the rich isnt going to be enough to establish a socialist healthcare program. The poor will be taxed too.

Malpractice is one thing that has to be reformed. I work in the billing office of an occupational medicine company, and all of the doctors there were saying how out of control malpractice insurance is.

Equally silly is the system for getting insurance claims paid, and what you get is a cycle of scamming on both sides that ends up screwing the clients without enough clout to demand price reductions. (as opposed to a company like AIG which takes 10% off any claim because they can)

What we need to do is appoint a panel of gov employees to set prices for all medical procedures and practices.

Another panel to set prices for all medicine.

With the goiovernment running things we could save taxpayers a lot of money.

As an example, just look how efficiently the government runs itself.

We should be leaping at the chance!