OPINION:
If the great and powerful genie of the American economy granted me only one wish, I would wish for the repeal of the 16th Amendment, which authorizes Congress to tax income, and the institution instead of a 3% consumption tax.
How we raise money to fund our government doesn’t have to be complicated. According to USAFacts.org, the average middle class income in 2021 was $59,757, and of that 30%, or $17,902, went to federal, state and local taxes. Imagine a world where you keep more of what you earn and don’t spend a dime on getting taxes done, where businesses keep records of what makes sense to them and no one feared the IRS. It would fundamentally change lives.
For Democrats, what better way to “tax the rich” than a consumption tax? There’s no way around it — no matter how many high-priced tax attorneys you have on your payroll, you still have to buy things. The withholding tax came about because government bureaucrats didn’t think anyone would pay so much unless it was forcibly withheld from their paychecks. Who wouldn’t support replacing our 6,871-page federal tax code with a one-page consumption tax code? Liberals would embrace it with open arms because it would open up for the homeless 89,767 spaces formerly occupied by IRS employees.
The best scenario is a 3% federal tax, a 7% state tax and a 10% local consumption tax to replace all taxes so that no more than 20% of anyone’s income would ever be taxed. I call it my “3-7-10 plan.”
BEN FURLEIGH
Port Charlotte, Florida
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