LEADER 04610nam 2200661Ia 450 001 9910822065003321 005 20200520144314.0 010 $a1-281-96601-0 010 $a9786611966010 010 $a0-226-55566-6 024 7 $a10.7208/9780226555669 035 $a(CKB)1000000000578450 035 $a(EBL)408263 035 $a(OCoLC)436148126 035 $a(SSID)ssj0000152976 035 $a(PQKBManifestationID)11178319 035 $a(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000152976 035 $a(PQKBWorkID)10339790 035 $a(PQKB)10314026 035 $a(StDuBDS)EDZ0000122922 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC408263 035 $a(DE-B1597)524094 035 $a(OCoLC)781253334 035 $a(DE-B1597)9780226555669 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL408263 035 $a(CaPaEBR)ebr10266064 035 $a(CaONFJC)MIL196601 035 $a(OCoLC)646784359 035 $a(EXLCZ)991000000000578450 100 $a20010810d2002 uy 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aur|n|---||||| 181 $ctxt$2rdacontent 182 $cc$2rdamedia 183 $acr$2rdacarrier 200 10$aFair not flat $ehow to make the tax system better and simpler /$fEdward J. McCaffery 205 $a1st ed. 210 $aChicago $cUniversity of Chicago Press$d2002 215 $a1 online resource (xiii, 178 pages) 311 0 $a0-226-55560-7 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references (p. 167-170) and index. 327 $tFrontmatter --$tCONTENTS --$tTABLES AND FIGURES --$tACKNOWLEDGMENTS --$tINTRODUCTION. Time for a Change --$tONE. Tax Basics --$tTWO. The Trouble with the Income Tax --$tTHREE. The Case for a Spending Tax --$tFOUR. Death to Death Taxes --$tFIVE. Progressivity Can Live --$tSIX. The Fair Not Flat Tax --$tCONCLUSION. Toward Class Teamwork, Not Class Conflict --$tQUESTIONS AND COMMENTS ON THE FAIR NOT FLAT TAX --$tGLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS --$tFURTHER READING --$tINDEX 330 $aEveryone knows that the current tax system is unfair. Some of the richest people in America pay no tax, while a huge share of the tax burden falls on the rest of us. A mere glance at the tax code confirms that it is far too complex, with volumes of rules that no ordinary person could possibly comprehend. What is to be done? Some conservatives have called for a so-called flat tax. But a flat tax is not necessarily a simple tax, and "flat" means "more" for most taxpayers: a rise in middle-class taxes to finance tax cuts for the rich. Is there another choice? In clear, easy-to-understand language, Edward J. McCaffery proposes a straightforward and fair alternative. A "fair not flat" tax that is consistent and progressive would tax spending, not income and savings. And if it were collected at its lower levels through a national sales tax, most people would not have to file a return. A supplemental tax on spending for the wealthiest individuals would make the national sales tax progressive. Under McCaffery's system, a family of four would pay no tax on their first$20,000 in spending, and 15 percent on the next$60,000. Only the few families who spend more than$80,000 a year would be subject to the supplemental tax. Necessities would be taxed less than ordinary and luxury items. No one would be taxed directly on savings. The estate and gift or so-called death tax would be abolished, for the simple reason that dead people don't spend. The "fair not flat" tax would fall on heirs when and as they spend their good fortune. Perhaps best of all, most Americans would not have to fill out tax returns. Simpler, more efficient, fairer, and more reflective of America's current social values, McCaffery's "fair not flat" tax could help get us out of the tax mess that politicians and special interests have gotten us into, improving the whole country in the process. Read Fair Not Flat to find out how. "In Fair Not Flat, Mr. McCaffery lays out the case for a consumption tax. He does so in a reader-friendly way, presenting his argument with very few footnotes, equations or technical terms. The consumption of the book, so to speak, is not at all taxing. And its argument is well worth pondering."-Bruce Bartlett, Wall Street Journal 606 $aIncome tax$zUnited States 606 $aSpendings tax$zUnited States 606 $aTaxation$zUnited States 615 0$aIncome tax 615 0$aSpendings tax 615 0$aTaxation 676 $a336.2/05/0973 700 $aMcCaffery$b Edward J$0141563 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 906 $aBOOK 912 $a9910822065003321 996 $aFair not flat$94058934 997 $aUNINA