Why we need a flat tax.

[Kasz216]

akuma587 said:

Kasz216 said:

akuma587 said:
For all the time some of you guys spend arguing about tax rates being raised 2% or 3% you could have made hundreds of thousands of dollars by now.

And isn't it your duty as a citizen to pay taxes? I guess everyone loves to be patriotic until it comes time to actually do something tangible to support your country, like pay your taxes. Some of you act like the government anally rapes you when it does what it has the constitutional authority to do, tax you.

 

That's a silly arguement.  "The government has the ability to do it therefore it's right."

I've seen Mafoo argue that raising taxes is unconstitutional.

And I agree with you that the government should use that power responsibly.  The government should tax us as little as it can to maintain fiscal solvency and the government should spend as little as it can for the same reason.  But currently we are getting hit on both ends.  Tax revenues when adjusted for inflation, natural population growth, and GDP growth have plummeted since the Clinton years.  Spending has risen dramatically, though anyone who tells you that it is possible to run a balanced budget during a recession even if you want to while still maintaining a functional national government is fooling themselves.

The solution is pretty simple.  We need to cut spending and control the growth of spending.  We also need to raise taxes. 

High tax rates help control the economy from getting out of hand as well.  Low taxes are good during times of economic contraction, but high tax rates during good economic years prevents bubbles in the economy that result in economic crashes like the ones we just went through.  It controls the money supply and prevents overleveraging.

Uh... what about that 19.5 graph that's show tax revenue consistant with GDP?

Aside from what you've stated... none of that has anything to do with a progressive vs flat tax arguement.

Nor does it explain why we don't even have a proportional tax system... but instead a "pick and choose" style taxation system that leads to abuse.

All programs should be paid for by all people.  Taxes shouldn't be raised on some to get new programs in play.  When new taxation is needed everyone should feel the hit in some form or another.

If they can't.  Well the government is spending way too much money.