MikCtr, you got to the heart of it in one of your earlier comments when you said, “It will never be a ‘just’ system as long as man continues to dominate man.”

Ecclesiastes 8:9 says, “Man has dominated man to his injury.” And Jeremiah 10:23 clearly states that it doesn’t belong to man to direct his own steps. Like you said, “Thats why [Jesus] taught HIS followers to pray for a government that was to come and to trust in it to make the changes mankind has not achieved from the beginning of human rule. So, basically, it is not God who bears the blame, but man.”

Human government will never achieve peace or equity. It’s just not possible, no matter how we try to delude ourselves. Humans are too imperfect, too shortsighted, and too temporary. (See Psalm 143:6.)

kk

I do, however, have to chime in about your “planned poorly” or “made stupid life decisions” bit. I happen to think that I made good decisions and I live within my means. But in law school, I learned a lot about fairness and how making good decisions doesn’t always equal things working out like you hoped.

Someone with the last name “Hilton” or similar already has a leg up in life. People in my law school that showed up in BMWs had not necessarily made good decisions, they were born lucky. And the converse is just as true.

And lastly, as a mom, I will also say that no matter what stupid choices a parent makes, a child should never be penalized. Health care, shelter and food aren’t luxury items, they are necessities.

A true flat percentage tax would be equitable entirely because it is based on percentage. No tweaks necessary.

And family of five on 10k per yr?????! Ten percent for them is just as equitable as ten percent for Forbes. The fact that they planned poorly or made stupid life decisions is not the concern of government. Applying the law equally to all citizens is a government concern.

No exemptions and no exceptions equals no bloat.

I will accept that compliance will always be an issue. Some people enjoy deceit & larceny at the expense of others, and this current system allows way too many to scam from both ends of the spectrum.

A true flat percentage tax is less invasive, more efficient, and helps uphold the vital concept important to any open & democratic society of ‘equal under the law’.

But when all is said and done, we both can agree that something needs to be done, and the bone heads in DC won’t do it unless we the people give ‘em a swift kick in the pants!

Good stuff. Thank you.

I am a Christian, but I don’t think we should make laws based on what’s “Biblical”, since that has been open to interpretation for hundreds of years, depending on what who does the interpreting wants.

We should be looking into ways to stop the corporate welfare in our tax system (corps get massive breaks — corporate welfare costs our country much more than welfare for people) and the loopholes that allow those rich enough to have good attorneys to weasel out of their share. States should abolish taxes on groceries and raise revenue through higher sales taxes, especially on consumer goods and luxury items. I don’t mind paying more. I’ve been blessed quite a bit, and I have no problem paying taxes commensurate with my blessings.

In Mark 12:13-17, Jesus makes it clear that it is a responsibility of Christians to pay their taxes appropriately (”pay back Cesar’s things to Cesar and God’s things to God” -NWT).

This point is further supported at Romans 13:1-7, which discusses the role of those in authority, and specifically 6-7 for taxes (”For that is why you are also paying taxes; for they are God’s public servants constantly serving this very purpose. Render all their dues, to him who [calls for] the tax, the tax; to him who [calls for] the tribute, the tribute; to him who [calls for] fear, such fear; to him who [calls for] honor, such honor”).

Of course one can and should take advantage of legal exemptions and write-offs, but from a Bible standpoint, it is the Christian’s responsibility to pay what is legally owed, no more and no less.

Kristen

If we had a pure flat tax per reported income, there would be huge inequities. For example, let’s use a 10% flat tax per reported income. That would mean that a family of five earning about $10k per year on minimum wage would pay $1k, leaving only $9k per year to pay for expenses. In contrast, one person making $100k per year would pay $10k, leaving $90k per year to pay for expenses. I submit to you that the $1k hurts the family a lot more than the $10k hurts the individual.

So, let’s add exemptions. And maybe some deductions. And just like that: bloat.

And let’s remember that our tax system is progressive, not in terms of being forward thinking, but rather it increases as income increases – but in stages. Every single taxpayer (not including deductions, exemptions and other loopholes) pays the same rate on the first $7825 of income. Every single taxpayer pays the same rate on the next $24k of income. And so on.

I am not a fan of the current system. I just don’t believe that a flat tax solves the woes of the taxpayers. There are so many details that have to be considered: who pays? do we allow deductions and if so, on what items? what gets taxed? what do we exempt? We do not have a system of government with all of its special interest groups and voter considerations that would allow simple answers to these questions.

As for me? I don’t prepare returns – I work with planning and compliance. Even with a flat tax, there will be compliance issues, trust me. A flat tax wouldn’t put me out of a job. I don’t have any compelling financial interest to promote our current system (in fact, I think it stinks for me personally, remember? http://www.taxgirl.com/being-middle-class-in-america-sucks/). I just think most of the alternatives aren’t any better – yet.

You say, “And you cannot extract bits and pieces of the Bible at the expense of others.” Of course you can. People have been doing it for centuries to give their opinions credibility. It’s tradition, why stop now?