the US should change its tax system

I am here today to stand in affirmation of the topic: the US should change its tax system. I do so because not only is the current tax system nigh impossible for the average American to decipher on his/her own, but it is also designed for a economic situation that the United States is no longer in. To enhance the debate I offer the following definitions: tax system: the system of taxes through which the government collects money. Including but not limited to the sales tax, income tax, property tax, estate tax, excise tax and tariffs. change: alter some part of the system to better meet today's economic situation. to support my position i offer the following points, which for the sake of submitting this on time will be fully explained in the second round. Point 1: the US's income tax is too complicated. point 2: the US economy's recent turn towards a recession will increase the already gigantic national debt. and point 3: tariffs increase the prices of goods, thereby making it harder for consumers to purchase products. My first point is that the US income tax is too complicated. the majority of people filing tax returns today do so by using an accountant. they do so because they have neither the time, nor the knowledge to navigate the large tax code we have in place today. even accountants, who are undeniably tax professionals, have a 96% error rate when preparing tax returns. If someone who's job it is to prepare tax returns gets it wrong 96% of the time, then what hope does the average Joe have. the solution to this problem, change the tax code (the rules by which income taxes are calculated) so that it is simpler and easier for the average Joe to understand. My second point is that the US economy's turn towards recession will increase the already gigantic national debt. You might be wondering what this has to do with the tax system. You see, taxes are the primary way the government raises money, which is then spent on things of national import, such as health care, education, social services, among other things. during a recession, the costs of these programs, especially social security and welfare, increase dramatically. at the same time, the governments income decreases, as people lose jobs that the economy can no longer support. these two factors combine to increase the national budget deficit (the difference between government spending and income), which is valued at $162 billion dollars for the fiscal year 2007 http://www.cbo.gov... . this deficit in turn increases the national debt, which is almost 9.5 trillion dollars ( http://www.brillig.com... ) (so each citizen owes over 30 grand). which (according to FED chairman Ben Bernake*) comes out to roughly 30% of GDP (the best way to judge the size of the deficit), and is a fiscally irresponsible amount. So what does this have to do with tax reform? One way to decrease the deficit is to change the current tax system (by eliminating bush's tax cuts for example). the government should change the system by which its collects money to better suit the economic situation of the country. its the responsible thing to do. my third point is that tariffs increase the prices of goods, thereby making it harder for consumers to purchase product. As I've mentioned (somewhat briefly) in my previous' point, people today have less money to spend. there salaries are not keeping up with the cost of living, and the recent economic downturn has cost millions their jobs. these combined has put increased pressure on families who may have already been strapped for cash. tariffs, by their very nature, exacerbate this problem. tariffs are a tax the government sets on products imported from other nations, and thereby increase the price of whatever product it tariffed. products ranging from Chinese wire hangers to Canadian lumber, and foreign grown produce, all have tariffs on them. the lumber tariff increase the cost to build things using wood, or to make paper. the former hurts an already defunct housing market, and the latter puts even more pressure on paper company's to make layoffs or close plants. I'm from a small mill town in Maine (Millonocket). A few years back the paper mill there closed down. Sufficing to say that basically ruined the towns economy, and its future. part of the reason the mill closed was the high price of the lumber needed to make paper. Millonocket lumber was formerly a town of 1,300, mostly employed in the mill or supporting services (such as restaurants, cafe, stores, etc.). today the population is around 600-700, mostly consisting of old people to stuck in there ways to move. the Canadian tariff was part of the reason the mill closed, and it, and other tariffs like it, should be changed. i await my opponents response, and wish him good luck and look forward to debating this with him.