Deroy Murdock's Optional Tax - Grand Idea
Wow! Every now and then someone comes along and proves you can please all the people all the time. This time it is Deroy Murdock in his recent column. He proposes a Higher-rate Optional Tax (HOT) to provide some level of pacification to those upper income liberals who don't think too favorably of income tax cuts.
The HOT would ease all this pain. The IRS simply would add a small box to
the 1040 tax form beside these words:
"If you believe you should be taxed at
a rate above that assigned to your income bracket, please indicate here the
higher rate you prefer. Kindly calculate your tax liability, and send it
in."
With that easy step, congressional liberals and residents of Malibu and
Martha's Vineyard no longer would have to keep the tax cuts conservatives keep
throwing their way. Instead, they could send 50, 75 or even 99 percent of their
incomes to Washington so the GOP Congress and President Bush can spend it even
better than they can.
While this reform would increase taxpayer choice, it
might generate little revenue. Arkansas, Massachusetts and Virginia taxpayers
already may pay above and beyond their usual top rates, though few do
this.
Imagine that. With all the wild eyed liberals in Massachusetts, one would think a pretty large number would take advantage of such an opportunity. Apparently, it's just an matter of the same old oppose anything Bush endorses mentality. The entire column is well worth a read.
Just an observation.
posted by Ol' BC @ 10:03 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Typical liberal logic ...
Everyone should pay more taxes, except for "me".
It's a great idea, though. Increasing taxpayer choices while at the same time offering an opportunity to pay more if you think you should would likely result in very few people actually exercising that option ...
Instead, I propose the "LOT" (Lower-rate Optional Tax), in which a taxpayer who feels he is overtaxed can request a refund of the portion of his taxes he feels he should not have to pay. Simply check off the programs you don't want to pay for, and simply reduce your payment by the amount calculated. Only constitutional programs would be mandatory, such as those involving national security or the military.
Of course, don't expect anyone in Washington to toss that idea out. Even the so-called "conservatives" are big spenders there.
RWR
I like Murdock, and really like his "Optional Tax" idea, but really, we'll never get control of our government while we allow them to force money from us.
The Catholic Church has been operating on voluntary donations and voluntary tithes for centuries. They're doing fine. Why can't government be required to operate the same way?
Could have fooled me, Beef.
How many people does the IRS have thrown in the slammer and/or taken for every penny they have every year?
And the government makes lots of huge promises with little or no credibility. What do you think Socialist Security is?
Seriously, the only thing the government should be spending money on are those things that are constitutionally mandated. Everything else is a means of controlling you and me.
RWR
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