1. I dislike sales tax vs. income tax. It discourages spending "on the ground" by us consumers more than income tax discourages people from attempting to earn more. Required services (roads, military, fire/police, social programs, etc.) require fixed amounts of money more easily maintained by income taxes than by sales taxes. I bet dollars spent on taxable goods have dropped more in the current recession than incomes have, and I bet they would rise faster when we start growing again too. This is not what we really want- we want to reduce the flux of deficits and surplus related to GDP. But then again, I also dislike flat taxes because I like using tax incentives or penalties to encourage/discourage specific behavior, like vice taxes or deductions for mortgage interest paid. I favor the general outline of our current tax system, but I think there are certainly inefficiencies that can be addressed.
2. There's plenty, like the Bush tax cuts expiring or income tax rates being reduced in periods of surplus, like the late '90s and early '50s for example. Many small individual taxes are written into law with expiration dates just like most provisions of the Stimulus Bill were. And, given the platform of Republicans for decades has included reducing taxes, all we have to do is elect them more and they'll repeal/reduce taxes.
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FWD is the new AWD
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