Path: utzoo!dciem!client1!kevin
From: kevin@client1.DRETOR.UUCP (Socrates)
Newsgroups: can.general
Subject: Re: Flat Tax Rate
Message-ID: <2419@client1.DRETOR.UUCP>
Date: 18 Aug 89 17:40:00 GMT
References: <401@fs1.ee.ubc.ca> <1713@cs-spool.calgary.UUCP> <644@UALTAVM.BITNET>
Reply-To: kevin@client1.dciem.dnd.ca (Socrates)
Distribution: can
Organization: NTT SYSTEMS INC.
Lines: 35

In article <644@UALTAVM.BITNET> TMCLELLA@UALTAVM.BITNET writes:
>In article <1713@cs-spool.calgary.UUCP>, fare@.ucalgary.ca (Michael David Farebrother) writes:
> 
>>a "30(?)% income tax" , no exclusions, no deductions, just report your
>>income and pay 30% of it.
> 
>It would be so simple, and so fair.  If everyone had to pay tax on their gross
>income, maybe we could all pay a little less in the end.  The rich would have
>no write offs.
> 
>Every month, your employer (or whoever) would simply remit your taxes directly
>to Rev Canada.  No forms, no headaches, no tax prep rip-offs.
> 
Except that income takes more forms than a paycheque.  If I own a store and
sell some merchandise, using the profit as my income, how do I determine
how much of it is actual "income" and how much is expenses for the store?
And if expenses are fully covered, how much goes to expansion, and is it
taxable or not?  What about the money I spend in advance to keep the
shelves stocked?

The same can be said for people who use stocks, money markets, or any of a
number of different ways to make a living that don't involve an actual
paycheque, but are taxable.

These are just a few of the strange situations that make this idea about as
complicated as the current tax laws.  If everybody got their paycheques
once a week (or two weeks) and it was their only source of income then the
above system would work beautifully.  Unfortunately, us strange human
beings insist on this useless trait called "individuality". :-)

-- 
--- Kevin Picott   NTT Systems, Inc., Toronto, Ontario
    "There can be no offense where none is taken" - Japanese Proverb

    kevin@zorac.dciem.dnd.ca, or on some sites kevin@zorac.ARPA