Our next installment of Tax Talk 2010 features Randy Hultgren, the Republican candidate for Congress in the 14th Congressional District of Illinois. I emailed Mr. Hultgren a set of six questions related to tax. Follows are his unedited answers:
1. What’s the single most important tax issue facing Americans today?
The high rate of taxation coupled with the complicated and burdensome economic distortions of the federal tax code.
2. If you could only make one “quick fix” in terms of an extra credit, a disallowed deduction, whatever – what would it be?
A permanent extension of the research and development tax credit to encourage innovation and hiring.
3. Which is a more egregious tax on the American public: the AMT or the federal estate tax?
I couldn’t possibly pick between the two; they’re equally terrible.
4. It has been suggested that the IRS should be eliminated. Do you believe that this makes sense, and if you do, what would you establish in its place?
I believe we must carefully examine all the possible options we have to choose from. I fundamentally believe that we need to lower the rate of taxation across the board for families, individuals and businesses, reduce government spending, and simplify the tax code. I’d like to see more proposals before I endorse any particular option.
5. Do you think that significant tax cuts are possible considering the current state of the economy?
Yes. The government has an expenditure problem, not a revenue problem. The best stimulus we can offer the American people is allowing everyone to keep more of their own money.
6. And just for fun, if Uncle Sam handed you a huge refund check right now, what would you do with it?
Put it towards our mortgage or a college savings plan our four children.
Thanks to Mr. Hultgren for his participation! You can find out more about Mr. Hultgren here.
Everyone answering this questionnaire I believe is not answering #6 correctly.
If Uncle Sam handed you a Huge Refund Check, what would you do with it.
Everyone should start off by saying they would make sure it is correct. If it is, they should indicate that they will change their withholdings so as not to give the government a free loan next year. If the check is not correct, they should contact the IRS to determine why they received it in the first place.
Too many people assume that the IRS is always right and if they sent a check to me, I must deserve it.
And these are the people that want to be elected to make the laws.
I am amused to see that Mr. Hultgren believes that allowing people to keep their own money would stimulate the economy, followed by him confessing that if he were to get some money back from the government, he would not be using it to stimulate the economy.
Answer to #4 is a little too safe, too. It sounds like he’s trying not to scare away those who want to abolish the IRS, but also does not want to be associated with them.
#4. Heck YES, abolish the entire 16th amendment not just the fraction of it as proposed by the Fair Tax legislation. 1. We need a zero based budget without social spending 2. This figure needs to be billed to the states apportioned by population 3. The states become the taxing entities removing this power and bureaucracy from Washington. This will force a governmental reduction and change the balance of power back to the states where is should be then the states will control which social programs remain at the federal level or if they get migrated to the state level. Either way the federal government gets reduced by, at least, 50% in one quick change.
#6. If this were to occur I’d question why the government even collected the funds. If they can afford to return MY MONEY to me then they should not have taken it in the first place.
Doug Marks Libertarian write-in candidate 14th District