Our Tax Code has grown into a complicated and convoluted mess. The major reason for tax return errors, by both paid tax preparers and taxpayers who self-prepare, and tax fraud is the complexity of the Code.
We, the Tax Professionals for Tax Reform, believe –
A. The current US Tax Code should be shredded and totally rewritten from scratch.
B. The one and only purpose of the Tax Code is to raise the money necessary to fund the government.
The new Tax Code must –
(1) Be simple – easy for everyone to understand. Simplicity for simplicity’s sake.
(2) Be fair and equitable - treat all taxpayers equally.
(3) Be consistent – treat specific conditions, situations, and activities, and maintain specific definitions and descriptions, the same in all instances.
(4) Encourage savings, investment, and growth.
(5) Index for inflation all allowable deductions and credits.
The new Tax Code must not –
(1) Be used for social engineering, to redistribute income or wealth, or to deliver social welfare and other government benefits.
(2) Encourage or discourage certain economic decisions (other than savings, investment, and growth), or provide exclusive benefits for specific industries, business activities, or classes of taxpayers.
(3) Contain any refundable credits, or any phase-outs, exclusions or adjustments based on Adjusted Gross Income or Modified Adjusted Gross Income.
(4) Contain any “alternative” tax calculation systems (such as the current “Alternative Minimum Tax”).
(5) Contain any temporary deductions, credits, benefits, or provisions.
