Taxation

From Libertarian Wiki

II.1 Taxation

Issues:

Taxes are too many, too complicated, too burdensom, and too high. The Income Tax is fundamentally unConstitutional in that it ignores the individual's right to privacy.

Ultimately, all persons are entitled to the fruits of their labor.  To the extent that government is necessary to protect life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, taxes should be used to finance those functions only.

However, taxes are currently used to fund government functions that go far beyond this end, creating an excessive burden on the taxpayer. Taxing people and using the money for government funding for special interest groups is theft.

Solutions: We: 1) support the abolishment of all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes; 2) support the repeal of the 16th Amendment; 3) support the review of all cases where individuals have been convicted of, or who now stand accused of, tax resistance.

Potential replacement solutions for the Income Tax are: 1) cuts in government waste; 2) national consumption tax (an indirect sales tax); 3) pollution tax; 4) land tax; 5) corporate value tax; 6) other?

Benefits: 1) ease of starting a new business; 2) more competition/more business due to lower economies of scale; 3) lower health care costs; 4) cheaper housing for the poor (the mortgage deduction distorts the market); 5) more choice in spending money how you want to; 6) increased prosperity in general; 7) U.S. becomes competitive in manufacturing again.