Question

Discuss the fairness of the US Tax Structure? How can it be improved?

Answer 1

Every year, Americans pay 97 separate taxes. We pay tax on the revenue we earn, the land we own, and the ##s and services that we purchase. The government taxes gifts that we make to others, assets that we leave to our families, poor habits that we indulge in, and unpleasant criminal profits. Misperceptions complicate knowledge and knowledge–particularly about the Federal Tax System Third of Americans claim to understand a "fair" or "big deal" about U.S. tax policies but can not agree on fundamental facts, such as whether the average Federal income tax rate is greater or lower than other Western democracies. This absence of comprehension encourages policy disagreement and makes reform efforts more complicated.

The complexity of the tax code, the machinations of those with special interests, and the sheer range of tax administration, payment, and collection encourage misunderstandings, myths, and even malevolence about the role of taxes in culture and the personality of those charged with their administration.

While many complain about taxes and hope for a future in which taxes are non-existent, they ignore the implications if vital government services–law enforcement, trash collection, fire protection–were voluntary, and if public operates, such as highways, electric grids, and water and sewer systems, depended on personal donations. There wouldn't be city streets, highways, and railways; there wouldn't be any schools, hospitals, or airports. In brief, a society would rapidly degenerate into anarchy without the means to finance community projects and strengthen social values.

People have asserted taxes are discriminatory as long as they have been imposed by kings and governments. Throughout history, real and fictional tax protesters–from the British Isles ' Boadicea to Lady Godiva–are idolatrous, while those employed to collect taxes suffer hostility and social rejection. The Bible equates tax collectors with prostitutes, adulterers, and sinners, and the Gestapo or the Mafia is often associated with the Internal Revenue Service. Politicians often call taxation "legalized robbery."

In fact, taxes are what we pay for civilized society, and for security, modernity, and prosperity. They are essential to every government, but they should be as fair as possible.

By any measure, for future generations, the current Federal tax scheme is grossly unfair. In addition to restricting the development of public programs, a mixture of tax and social insurance premium rises will be needed to decrease federal debt to manageable concentrations. Such reform, however, is unlikely.

Anti-tax anti-pathy among America's working population is common; hence the popularity of a commitment to' oppose any and all attempts to raise marginal tax rates on people and/or companies