Editor,
There are proposals circulating for Trump to push for a major reform of the Tax code. What is being proposed is a flat tax with no deductions and no taxes on the first $30,000 of income. Chances of this happening are slim since the massive U.S. tax code is full of sections that benefit rich special interest groups that buy politicians to get these special deals.
It is massive corruption out in the open and the swamp will fight strongly to protect their interests.
Imagine the savings a system of this nature would produce. The IRS bureaucracy could be shrunk significantly, you could fill out your tax submission on one simple page and the millions of hours spent by accountants and tax lawyers could be directed to more useful ends.
Our tax code as written also artificially distorts free market forces making us less efficient as an economy by picking winners and losers.
Since a lot of industries depend on this corrupt system to operate, unwinding this mess without major disruptions to the economy would be a challenge so it might have to be phased in over more than one year.
Those that disagree with this proposal will no doubt state that these deductions serve many noble purposes, yea, and the world is flat. Despite the challenges I think it would be worth it since eliminating this form of corruption present in our political system would be priceless.
Joe Kaffl
Hillsboro
