Posted on 08/18/2022 9:44:45 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
(The opinions expressed in guest op-eds are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.)
The U.S. Tax code should be scrapped, and the IRS abolished, and in its place, a flatter, simpler and fairer single tax rate system should be created. We can call it the Tax Code Complication Act to gain approval from the Democrats. Meanwhile, if you need me, I’ll be over here holding my breath.
And now, with the Inflation reduction Act, a total farce that funds 87,000 new IRS agents, get ready, find that lunch receipt from 7 years ago because they're coming after you next. Not you, Jim, because you're one of their useful idiots. Get ready if you're a Republican.
— manic contrarian (@SBCTA) August 18, 2022
You’ll hear much today about the Trump employee, Allen Weisselberg, who has pled guilty to tax violations. This case concerns whether he and other Trump employees evaded paying income taxes on nonwage compensation received from the Trump Organization.
In the case of Weisselberg, the nonwage compensation included: leased Mercedes-Benzes, an apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, as well as tuition for private schools for his grandchildren. That no good rotten…
Weisselberg worked for the Trump Organization for over 50 years, having begun his career working for Trump’s father. Weisselberg, as the saying goes, is like a family member. So you can appreciate how it might seem like a shady area of existing and current tax law regarding whether these nonwage benefits are taxable as ordinary income under the current Tax Code.
And keep in mind, of the Tax Code, even for accountants and tax lawyers, is so ridiculously complex and contradictory that it has been shown time and time again that if you were to line up five experienced CPAs and five expert tax attorneys and asked them each to calculate the taxes owed on a moderately complex income tax return, you’d get ten different answers.
Something else to consider is this. According to the Tax Foundation, Commerce Clearing House is the publisher that puts out the Standard Federal Tax Reporter, which is 70,000 pages inclusive of each relevant statute, court case, and other vital information. Thus, American taxpayers must toil in our constantly growing tax police state while at the same time figuring out how much the tax and spenders in Congress get to squander based on the rest of us personally complying with a 70,000-page Federal Tax Report aka the U.S. Tax Code.
The Tax Code by itself is a paltry 2,652 pages clocking in at well over one million words without the relevant statutes, regs, and case law. But as has been pointed out in other articles on this subject, try being a CPA or Tax Attorney without understanding the relevant statutes, regulations, and case law.
So how many words is one million? Answer: a ton! To put this in some perspective, borrowing from the Tax Foundation, the King James Bible has 788,280 words, the book War and Peace is 560,000 words long, and the Harry Potter series is just over one million words.
So this guy, Weisselberg, who worked for the Trump family for over 50 years, was their CFO, so yes, his understanding of these issues is better than most, but still, he will go to jail for 100 days as part of his plea deal. But before you assume anything, Weisselberg hasn’t implicated Donald Trump as part of these questionable tax code violations. Indeed, according to an article in the New York Times this morning, Cyrus Vance, the partisan hack who masqueraded as the Manhattan District Attorney, tried to bring charges against Donald Trump; what else is new? But he was unsuccessful. After Weisselberg was indicted, the broader investigation against the Trump Organization continued until Vance left the District Attorney’s office.
After reviewing the evidence and facts in the case, Vance’s successor, Alvin L. Bragg, sworn in on Jan. 1, grew concerned about his prosecutors’ ability to show Trump intended to commit a crime. Being unable to, the witchhunt was halted. So this guy, whose only crime is not fully capitulating to a tax regime that demands compliance with a byzantine confiscatory tax collection scheme powered by 70,000 pages, and 28 million words (assuming each page has 400 words), will go to jail as part of the Establishment’s never-ending witchhunt of the former President and his family, friends, associates, colleagues, acquaintances and his supporters.
And now, with the “Inflation Reduction Act,” a total farce that while not doing a damn thing about inflation funds 87,000 new IRS agents, get ready, find that receipt you got for that lunch seven years ago because they’re coming after you next. Especially if you’re a Republican. So did I mention I’m a Libertarian? I probably shouldn’t have because the confiscatory taxers hate us even more.
Joe Armendariz is the Director of Government Relations & Public Affairs for Armendariz Partners, LLC. He is the former Executive Director of the Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association, Santa Barbara Technology and Industry Association and the Chairman of the California Center for Public Policy. His views are his own and do not necessarily represent the views of his former or current group affiliations. He can be reached at: 805.990-2494
3x5 notecard. Gross income x 0.07. Submit to US Treasury Everyone pays. No deductions.
The tax code exists for purely punitive reasons.
Another way it gives government to be able to make an otherwise innocent / law abiding person, guilty of something the government can use as a pretext to go after them for.
“Just keep creating more and more rules and laws and everyone will be guilty. We can go after them when we need to, then.”
What about people who get income from various sources such as rental income, business income, stocks, bonds, etc.?
Maybe the final calculation will fit on a single 3x5 card, but there are so many ways to generate income that it could be pages and pages to list for some folks.
And for those who do make money on something like real estate: do you really want them to just state how much money they charged for rent without being able to specify all of their deductions for repairs, property taxes, etc.?
The flat tax, like the Non-Aggression Policy, like libertarianism in general, sounds great at first but is just childish fantasy.
EVERYONE should have SOME SKIN in the game.
They had the opportunity in 2017 to do this and didn’t. In fact they passed a good hill but put a sunset in for working class while making the tax cuts for the rich permanent. How do they have the nerve talking tax overhaul now after they did nothing last time they had majority?
What scam, you might ask? The scam of trading "free stuffs" to the deadbeat crowd for votes. It's all about them staying in office. They do not care about anything else.
So you’re saying you’d rather have the 70,000 pages of tax code along with the tax lawyers, accountants, etc.....got it.
Agreed.
Rush Limbaugh was correct decades ago when he said we need to raise taxes on the poor.
Because spending is our problem. And it will never come under control until it hurts everybody equally.
It would require an Amendment, but the only broad-based, objectively fair tax that would still align with the American principle of individual liberty would be... a national sales tax.
There is nothing fair about progressive income taxes. That is simply liberals and other misguided folk confusing their personal satisfaction with some imagined subjective fairness.
Even a truly, no-exceptions flat income tax still leaves the justification for an overbearing IRS to exist. And to know how much money you make, how many dependents you have and other private info which should be none of their dang business. All of which is ammunition for further government discrimination.
Well ….. DUHhhhh
Take a look at all the rebates and tax credits for energy efficient upgrades to residences. Million$ and million$ of dollar$.
But it is going to be so difficult for the “average” taxpayer to get much benefit. At least that is my prediction.
It will take a year or two for some of the “deals” to be available because of requirements for involvement by respective states where one owns a home.
Tax simplification? That ship sank a long time ago!
Referring to new law passed with the name Inflation Reduction Act.
We should rename it to the “I Really Can’t Afford it Act” because that is a fact.
The tax America needs is a sales tax. Income tax is an abomination.
We already have a reasonably flat rate with just 3 rates. And when someone calls for a flat rate, it is often the more libertarian types who fear it will mean tax rates on investment income will rise and discourage investment.
And don't even try to take away their deduction for depreciation even when the item they're depreciating actually goes up in value, e.g. property.
It's not a perfect system but it does a couple of things.
Makes everyone have skin in the game.
Greatly simplifies the tax code.
Makes completing your taxes pretty simple if you can do some basic math.
I admire your confidence in the typical public schooled citizen.
I concede that is a huge leap of faith!
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