Sixty-six percent believe the current system is unfair. Effectiveness in a tax system and system of government is also very important to Americans. They believe the current tax system supports just the opposite. Fifty-seven percent believe the current system provides services to everyone, but do not feel they receive benefits proportionate to the amount of taxes they pay. Focus-group participants struggled to identify much beyond parks and museums that they could classify as good returns on their tax dollars.
People are also concerned that the current system fails to promote self-reliance.
Government, they believe, is viewed as the crutch one should rely on to take care of one's problems as opposed to personal responsibility. Finally, Americans believe there is a complete lack of justice in the tax system. Fifty-seven percent feel victimized by taxes. Several alternatives to the tax system are currently being discussed. The National Commission on Economic Growth and Tax Reform issued its recommendations in January 1996, endorsing a single, low-rate system.