Big Issues Challenge

"Under such a pseudo Flat Tax, neither the middle class nor the poor would take the brunt of the Flat Tax, thanks to their deductions and exemptions leaving them with taxes they can handle. " But even under the real Flat Tax wouldn't there be exemptions and deductibles? For example, one of the benefits to being married is that people making under a certain amount will be charged at a lower rate. My question is why do you think the Flat Tax have exemptions and deductions? 'Why should giving them more do anything besides rack up a larger debt? That's like giving a substance abuser more of the substance they abuse and expecting they'll sell it instead of use it for themselves. Before any actions are taken to increase government revenue, the budget needs to be streamlined to maximum efficiency, to ensure there are no wasted dollars that could be used instead of asking for more. " I understand what our saying. To some extent I agree that more revenue would not stop this obstreperous behavior of reckless spending. However, this doesn't eliminate the behavior of public officials abusing public debt. Austerity is coming whether the majority of Americans like it or not. Public officials only have the capacity to balance the budget temporarily like in the mid-1990s. But then again that was a majority Republican congress and a Democratic president which is a rarity. "I do not despise this Pseudo Flat Tax, it certainly seems to be working well. It can be equated to the same thing as a Progressive Tax System that simply has low rates, which is something I am certainly for. " The Forbes' Flat Tax is not progressive, it is flat. Deductions and exemptions only affect the money that is to be taxed. The rate does not change at all. "I am arguing against a Flat Tax that gives across the board completely equal percentage tax rates. Many of the popular proposed plans and popular enacted plans do not follow this model. They follow a model that has a flat rate that is changed through deductions, essentially creating a Progressive Model with very low rates. " Pro is thinking theoretically about the Flat Tax and not practically about the implementation of it. It seems Pro is getting at the idea the Flat Tax will be a flat rate for everyone. In practice this wouldn't happen due to married couples, single moms, couples with kids, people who have to take care of the elderly, those who have to take care of the disabled, and etc. The Forbes' Flat Tax and the Eastern European Flat Taxes shouldn't be considered progressive because the rates of taxes do not grow as one goes up the income bracket. The Flat Tax would still remain the same rate for someone that is below the poverty line and someone that is a millionaire. They would just have different deductions depending upon circumstances. Depending on the situation the millionaire may have more deductions than someone below the poverty line. For example, if a millionaire may have invested so much of his money in certain institutions that he pays little in taxes. I am concerned about how the Flat Tax will be implemented in practice with various deductions, exemptions, and credits. I have not been convinced to be against the Flat Tax. I am not for it either, I still remain neutral on the Flat Tax.