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The IRS Has Grown Too
Large and Bureaucratic
Our tax system is so complicated that Americans now spend 5.4 billion hours
each year just to comply with it. By comparison, it took the same amount of
time to build all of the cars, trucks and airplanes produced in America last
year. It's no wonder when the instructions for the easiest tax form our
government can produce -- the EZ form -- runs 36 pages long.
Ending the IRS As We Know It
The Dole-Kemp 15 percent, across-the-board tax cut for America's families is a
good first step toward reforming our tax code. But the long-term goal of
serious tax reform must be the overhaul of the federal tax code. In achieving
that goal, a Dole-Kemp Administration will bear in mind these six basic
principles:
1. Fairness Restore fairness to our tax laws by ending, once and for
all, special interest loopholes, and taxing income at lower tax rates.
Tax laws should apply equally to all. No loopholes designed for a privileged
few. No special favors for those with the money to buy the influence of tax
lobbyists. The Dole-Kemp plan aims to restore one basic principle: Tax laws
should treat all Americans equally. Tax relief should be given to all
taxpayers.
2. Simplicity Let taxpayers file with a postcard-sized form or not
file a return at all.
In all its complexity, our tax code is today unfair in almost every way
imaginable: Our tax laws are beyond the comprehension of most mortals. That's
why some 55 million Americans need the help of an accountant to file our tax
returns. And often even the accountants cannot make sense of the tax code. It
is also a tremendous drag on productivity. But that's the price Americans are
paying today to meet the demands of a burdensome and irrational tax code.
3. Pro-Growth End the bias against savings and investment in our tax
laws.
Under the current system, income that is used for consumption is taxed once,
while income that is saved is taxed again and again. The Dole-Kemp tax reforms
begin the process of reducing the high taxes on certain types of income, such
as capital gains. In doing so, it seeks to stop punishing investment and
savings.
4. Helps Workers Relieve the tax burden on working Americans by
allowing for the deductibility of the payroll tax.
Working Americans pay taxes every time they receive a paycheck from their employers.
Many employees actually pay more in payroll taxes than they do in federal
income taxes. Bob Dole and Jack Kemp want to move toward a system that permits
them to deduct the payroll tax from their overall tax bill, more money will be
directed back to the working taxpayer.
5. Protects Social Security Help the elderly and those living on
fixed incomes.
How did the Clinton tax hike affect them? It raised the tax on their benefits
even higher, so that 85 percent of the Social Security payments government makes
are now subject to taxes. This was just plain wrong, and our plan will reverse
it. The Kemp-Dole plan will repeal that tax on elderly Americans.
6. Safeguards Against Tax Hikes Require a 60 percent majority vote to
raise incoeme tax rates.
Our tax laws have seen 31 major changes in just 40 years. Such constant
changes in tax rates, apart from their unfairness to working Americans, are
extremely destabilizing to our whole economy. Earnings should be put further
from government. Raising tax rates should not be done according to political
whim or the shifting balance of power in Washington. It's a serious matter, one
of the most serious responsibilities government has. It's serious enough to
require the consent of 60 percent of the Congress and not a mere majority.
A Better America
With Bob Dole as President, Americans won't spend their weekends during tax
season trying to fill out complicated and confusing forms.
More opportunities. Smaller government. Stronger and safer families
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