28 October 2012

The Flat Tax for Equality & Justice

One learns the strangest things about friends' politics on Facebook. The other day, I had a friend post that we should have a flat tax for equality and justice.

So, a single mom making $20,000 would pay $4,000 in taxes and George Soros making $2 billion in income would pay $400 million. (And yes, Soros and other hedge funds managers have made as much as $2 billion in a year. This is not hyperbole.) That seems perfectly equal. And fair. I'm sure that they both can "afford" the 20% tax equally. And I guess a flat tax, to keep it simple, would make no allowances for medical expenses, home mortgage deductions, charity, dependent children, education expenses or other deductions.

Next, I think that we should be equal and justice for military service. We should no longer rely on a primarily male population of soldiers, able-bodied kids who -generally speaking - aren't as interested in or able for university and the careers that follow. We should simply draft randomly from the population, 16 to 60, male or female. And, of course, for equality we would not make any allowances for medical waivers, student deferments, pregnancy, or people who had better employment prospects elsewhere (whether to serve out a term as president, say, or work as CEO).

I like it. Equality for all makes policy so simple.


1 comment:

Thomas said...

I'm trying to get some traction for my 100% Death Tax idea.

We'll provide free education and health benefits, and you're free to accumulate as much as your greedy little heart desires for as long as you live- but when you die, it all goes back in the kitty. No more Bush and Kennedy family dynasties, everybody has to forge their own way.

I don't think a tax could possibly be more painless.