Monday, April 18, 2011

The Flat Tax is Alive and Well

Today, April 18, 2011, is the federal income tax filing deadline for 2011.  Sad to say, there is no simple postcard-size flat tax in our immediate future.  A flat tax is not in the cards anytime soon in North America or old Europe.

Elsewhere the flat tax thrives.  The IMF uses every tool at its disposal to persuade countries to abandon the flat tax to close budget deficits or improve their definition of fairness.  These entreaties continue to be rejected.  Commentators who smell any weakening of commitment to the flat tax are quick to rush into print, wrongly in every case, to proclaim the beginning of the movement to dismantle the flat tax.

I hope to report this year new entrants into the flat tax club.  Stay tuned!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I have been completing some research on the flat tax for a graduate paper I'm currently working on. I have also been patiently waiting and hoping for the U.S. to adopt it like other countries have. One of the many benefits that, in my opinion, does not get talked about enough is the reduced evasion. I was talking to my father about this and had another idea to increase people's willingness to pay taxes and wanted a professional's input. What if people got to use a portion of taxes due to choose the areas of government to support? We were thinking; not only would we be happier to pay, but we would almost be forcing ourselves to be more informed. If that idea could spread, it would create a better republic overall.