Let's knock off the Get Rid of the IRS stuff already!

[sachiko]

Let's assume that there is a huge change in the tax system, flat tax, national sales tax, value added tax, whatever.

An organization to manage the filing of tax reports, audits, collection of the tax, etc., will STILLBE REQUIRED.

What will that organization be? Why the IRS ofcourse. They could even change the name, but an IRS, like a rose, by any other name, would still smell as sweet. Am I right? Of course I'm right.

[Fieldmouse]

Your close but it would but much more simplified since it's the gross sales that it would be calculated on like state taxes are now done. Gone would be the personal audits, personal accountant fees, and under the table money.

[Big Duane]

I don't think it'll ever pass ....... I do like the idea of it though

[Champlain Islander]

I vote to send them packing since I dislike the IRS.[:@]

[BigTiny]

The IRS has the power to freeze bank accounts, seize assets, garnish wages, and they can take any check and make it payable to themselves. All of that without so much as a warrant. Too much power in the hands of bureaucrats. I don't just want the IRS destroyed, I want all their employees fired with a 5 year wait on government employment. Let 'em swim with the sharks for a while.

[rockyshamrock]

Does this sound familiar?
THE SIMPLIFIED EXPLANATION OF THE TAX STRUCTURE

Bar Stool Economics
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for a couple of beers and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes according to our current tax structure, it
would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the
arrangement, until on day, the owner threw them a curve. "Since you are
all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of
your daily bar bill by $20."Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so
the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.
But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they
divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted
that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would
each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested
that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same
percentage of total of what he had been paying, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 in stead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four
continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men
began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He pointed
to the tenth man," but he got $10!"
"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar,
too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back
when I got only two"
"The rich get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get
anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat
down and had beers without him.
But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something
important. They didn't have enough money among them all for even
half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how
our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most
benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being
wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might
start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier, or
not reinvest in the community.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia
For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do
not understand, no explanation is possible.
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[Aught Six]

I think we should have a single, unpaid position for the purpose of enforcing federal tax laws. Call it the Accountant Laureate. That would be cool.

[bergall]

Rocky, that was awesome. How about something for Huckabee's 'Fair Tax' proposal (if it's possible) or one for the sales-tax only crowd ? I don't like that tax business because property taxes are included and everything has sales tax...so who wants to pay 8% extra for a $350000 house ? How high can they make property taxes before the burden becomes untenable ? These questions make me support the status-quo because at least it's within a system that's already been defined and I know what I'm paying now and I have a good idea how much I might have to pay extra if the Democrats get the White House.....

[sachiko]

You guys are aware are you not, that it is Congress and not the IRS that writes the tax code? The IRS merely collects the taxes that Congress establishes.

[CalHunter]

A large part of the IRS' poor reputation is how they overreact to situations and take such draconian measures to correct a problem. Regardless of what tax system is used, many people would like to see the IRS reformed and held accountable with less unbridled power.