Let us repeal all penalties for tax evasion, effectively making taxes optional.

Use state initiatives. Entice voters with immediate big savings on repealing ONE unfair tax while in small print repeal all penalties for tax evasion, effectively making taxes optional. Make all new taxes require voter approval at the ballot box.

Repeal state income tax by setting it a flat fee of $30/person. Make sales tax just $0.05 per cash register trip.

Government is a giant scam to tax the middle-class in order to shift that wealth to corporate welfare kings. The best way to end this giant tax scam called government is to repeal all taxes de facto, i.e. we effectively repeal all taxes though taxes still exist on paper.

First, let us start on the state and local level as we work our way towards destroying the devilish U.S. government.

Let us repeal all state and local taxes with state initiatives that do the following:

* Sugar-coated repeal-all-taxes initiative - Like Washington state's initiative 695, entice voter to support a "repeal-all-taxes" initiative by repealing ONE onerous taxes that saves each person BIG money (in small print, all new taxes will require voter approval at the ballot like local school bonds, making raising taxes much more difficult). In the case of Washington state, our car excise tax was reduced to a flat $30 fee for everyone. Previously, many drivers had to pay as high as $200, $300, or $400 depending on the value of their car as determined by the state government. * Flat state income tax - All state taxpayers pay the same state income tax - a $30 fee. * Flat sales tax - The sales tax for all shopping trips is 5 cents. Read below about the optional part. * Paying sales tax is optional - Sales clerk may not collect sales tax unless the customer specifically requests to pay sales tax. Who the hell would do that? * No penalty for tax cheaters - The tax enforcement budget for the state tax agency is set to zero or at a low level. For example, a state initiative can say that the state tax agency may spend only $150 on each person suspected of tax evasion (After spending $150 for a private investigator to find the suspect's address, they have reached their $150/suspect limit!) Use an escuse that this new budget will save the state goverment a lot of money. * No state support for federal tax enforcement - the state initiative should demand that state agencies stop all state support to assist the I.R.S. steal money from U.S. citizen for corporate welfare kings. This means that no sheriff or state jail will be used to help the I.R.S. The feds will have to send U.S. marshalls to capture people wanted by the I.R.S. for no state officials will help them. All state agencies will be instructed to release any suspect wanted by the I.R.S. * Bastille Day - Let's release all state prisoners currently serving terms for tax evasion. Use the escuse that it will save the state money not having to feed and house them.

-- No Mail (nomail@nomail.com), December 07, 1999

Answers

Why does it bother you when citizens whose opinons are just as valid as yours, want to keep more of their money, and make goverment smaller. I seem to remember a time when this countrys goverment was funded by tariffs on imported goods, and there was no income tax. We had many leaders smarter then you or I, who suggested that goverment governs best, when it governs least. The sky didn't fall then and I don't think it will now..

-- no chance (kingoffools_99@yahoo.com), December 07, 1999.

"I seem to remember a time when this countrys goverment was funded by tariffs on imported goods, and there was no income tax."

Damn! and d gripes about me talking about how old I am. You must be ancient!

-- Craig Carson (craigcar@crosswinds.net), December 08, 1999.

Wow.... just came out of lurk mode. Turn down the lights, can ya??

Umm, actually, some people of considerable vision have suggested systems where taxes would in fact, be voluntary. The only question left is would these systems generate enough revenue for government to pay for basic services. Unfortunately, you often end up in the same place we're in now: A bunch of people horribly confused with the Bill of Rights, thinking that we all have a *right* to a big screen tv and a refrigerator full of cold beer. Or, more seriously put, you have to define what those 'basic' services are. For those of us who think the basic services are roads, national defense, police, justice system... you know, basic services, not aimed at special interest groups or a certain demographic... some of these systems probably would provide enough revenue. But, for those of you who think that basic services = a cradle to grave nanny state, well, let's just say we might have trouble making ends meet. Oh.. wha??? It's not a dream, Auntie Em, they were claiming to be having trouble making ends meet, BEFORE 695 AND without a voluntary tax system. Hmmmmmm. Methinks we may have too many 'basic' services.

-- Paul Oss (jnaut@earthlink.net), December 08, 1999.

Wow, now we're getting theoretical. As a card-carrying Libertarian, I'm loving every word of it. By the way, there are plenty of ideas for privatization of the roads too. I was once at a tax protest holding an "abolish the IRS" and "it's your money" signs, when this guy comes up to me and demands to know how the roads are going to be paid for. They always justify the existence of government that chews through more than %20 of the GNP and pays for the display of elephant dung splattered "art" by saying "what about the roads???" Every penny of tax money ever collected was taken by the force of law. It wasn't anyone's choice. If you don't pay, you'll end up behind cold iron bars or with your house taken by a deputy carrying a Glock. I'd be fairly happy if more people would simply consider this fact and weigh it against the favors dished out by the nanny state.

-- Greg (kholmes@ior.com), December 12, 1999.

Greg-

If you don't pay, you'll end up behind cold iron bars or with your house taken by a deputy carrying a Glock. I'd be fairly happy if more people would simply consider this fact and weigh it against the favors dished out by the nanny state. 

Well maybe..

What D and other apologists for the nanny state seem to NOT understand is that most people pay their taxes voluntarily. True, many of these are kept in line by the occasional highly publicized tax evader case (Leona Helmsley and Redd Foxx come to mind), but when I was in the federal government the IRS actually loved to get high notoriety cases like this to dramatize that they COULD do enforcement. Because the reality is that they CANT DO MUCH enforcement. With 180 million INDIVIDUAL returns (not to mention corporate returns, etc.), the system wont work unless the VAST majority really cooperates plus or minus a gray area deduction or two. Because even though you have far fewer rights in tax court than in real courts, taking someone to court is an expensive and time consuming process and the IRS loses money on the average case it takes to court.

With mass tax resistance (as started to happen in the Reagan era, before the tax code was rewritten), the system would collapse, much akin to what happened to Seattle law enforcement during WTO. Once the tax courts back up from several years to several decades, you lose the immediacy of punishment with crime and it quickly loses its deterrence. As the enforcers become overloaded by scofflaws, they cut corners, become too aggressive, and make too many mistakes which further lowers their credibility and popularity with the populace. And the death spiral of public support continues.

And this is the main reason that I supported I-695 and will support other initiatives to decrease the resources of (and hence the size of) government. Because once we lose the social consensus that makes the vast majority of taxpayers give up their taxes pretty much voluntarily, we will have a hard time EVER getting it back. And Id much rather that the pro-big government types like D were left wishing for more government now than have people like me who would be happy with much less wishing for more government after the tax revolt truly does emasculate government, much more than D would ever believe could happen.

Because there simply arent enough cold iron bars (theyre too expensive to build) or deputies (theyre too expensive to hire and retain) and FAR TOO MANY Glocks (I have several myself) to actually make a non-consensual tax system work.

-- Mark Stilson (mark842@hotmail.com), December 13, 1999.