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With April's tax return filing
day around the corner, and the fed-
eral budget schism dominating the
national news cycle, one angle on
these stories has been understated.
Meaningful and equitable national
tax reform should be a part of the
fe
el
li
lc
C(
E
t~
el
F
d
Cl
scussion; whether or not that
lppens remains to be seen, but
w issues touch nearly every wage
Lrner in America.
The National Tax Code runs
ore than 5,000 hideous pages
ng, and there is almost universal
,nsensus our present tax system
unfair, too complicated, immoral,
ld too prone to political manipu-
tions. Yet, over the years, true
reform -- scrapping the pres-
It revenue code and starting over
has never seemed to catch on.
Back in 1996, Republican Steve
~rbes ran the bulk of his Presi-
mtial campaign on the fiat tax
,ncept. His contention was to
trash the present tax code with its
myriad of deductions and loopholes
and install a simple percentage-
based tax.
Forbes claimed a 10 percent flat
rate income tax on all wage earners
-- except those at poverty level --
would adequately fund the Federal
Government. No deductions. No
games. No loopholes.
As a reporter in 1992 - the
publisher of this newspaper, Rick
Kennedy- had first interviewed
then Louisiana Congressman Billy
Tauzin as he was an outspoken
proponent of tax reform. In the af-
termath of the Forbes campaign,
Tauzin actually sponsored a bill
in Congress calling for the abolish-
ment of the IRS and the installa-
tion of a "National Sales Ta£' in
1997.
Under Tauzin's original plan,
the income tax would cease. The
tax collectors would not be the
IRS, but rather retailers, resell-
ers, super market chains, and any
place else you happen to purchase
a "consumption item" from, just as
it is now with Washington state's
sales tax.
In other words, it is not any dif-
ferent than what happens now
when any of us go to a Wal-Mart
or Burger King, only the national
sales tax would simply be tacked
on to the end of the purchase.
"Under this plan, the citizens,
not the federal govermnent, get
first crack at their paychecks.
Through purchasing, taxpayers
would have total control over how
much money they give to Uncle
Sam," Tauzin said at the time.
In answering critics who claimed
the sales tax was regressive in na-
ture, Tauzin said, "The more you
purchase (or consume), the more
you pay. The higher the purchase
price, the higher tax. The guy pur-
chasing the Mercedes will always In his take on the Forbes fiat
pay more than the guy buying the tax, Tauzin said '~rhe fiat tax is
used Chevy." better than the current system, but
In Tauzin's original plan, a tax it is still an income tax. The IRS
of 15 percent would be imposed would still exist, and you would
on the gross receipts from the sale still have to fill out tax returns. Un-
of any taxable property or service der this (National Sales Tax) plan,
sold with three exemptions: Items American workers will take home
purchased for resale, items pur- 100 percent of their pay, and then
chased to produce items for resale, they would decide how much they
or items exported from the country, want to be taxed by how much they
Tauzin called for elimination of consume."
all personal and corporate income Fast forward to 2011, where we
taxes, estate and gift taxes, and have a record National Debt, and
dedicated excise taxes. For home fierce debates in political circles on
mortgages, Tausin offered the how to deal with it. While spend-
sales tax on the mortgage princi- ing cuts have grabbed most of the
pal should be payable in equal in- headlines, it would seem that our
stallments over the life of a 30-year nation's revenue structure - tax
note just as the principal itself, collections - would eventually fac-
Other advantages cited by Tauz- tor into these discussions.
in included elimination of indi- If Congress and President
vidual tax returns, no income tax Obama will do the right thing, tax
withholding, and no loopholes for reform will get a much needed re-
the wealthy, boot on the national agenda.
liminate
diem
or local
Editor, the Journal
In his article, Repro-
sentative Finn expressed
I .
sahsfactlon with the bi-
partisanship of some of the
b~dgetary issues and men-
t~oned getting rid of"waste,
fraud and abuse."
I called both represen-
tative Finn's and Haigh's
office to discuss budgetary,
shared sacrifice and sug-
gested legislators return
two percent of their pay.
State employees have sac-
rificed wage increases and
furloughs and retirees have
sacrificed cost of living
~creases from state retire-
ent and social security.
Where are the legislators'
sacrifices?
Mr. Finn's legislative
dide said he only accepts
50 percent of his per diem,
implying he is sacrific-
ing. That is no sacrifice.
r diem is provided for
expenses incurred, includ-
ing meals, mileage and
vernight accommodations,
Then away from home. As
state employee, I was
ot provided per diem. The
tate did not pay me mile-
ge from my Mason County
,ome to my Olympia job.
'he state did not provide
.~e food while at work. I
was not provided overnight
accommodations after
working overtime.
p Why are the taxpayers
aying per diem to any
~0gislator who lives within
miles of Olympia? Per
diem is for legislators from
~pokane, Yakima, Belling-
am and Vancouver. It is
not for legislators from Ta-
coma, Centralia, Aberdeen/
Hoquiam, Shelton/Belfair
or anyplace in Thurston
County.
A legislator should not
e rated any differently
om a state employee in
at both have a job to do
Olympia. If they live
ithin 50 miles of Olympia,
ey pay their own mile-
age and bring or buy their
own lunch. As to overnight
accommodations, stop the
session after 12 hours and
go home. I would not trust
any legislation that comes
out of a legislature that
has been in session for 18
straight hours, as humans
cannot think well after de-
liberation that long.
Our local legislators
should return all per diem
received during this ses-
sion.
Ardean A. Anvik
Elma
We are
the largest
third world
Editor, the Journal
As we watch the news of
both budget battles where
our elected officials play
chess with our futures I
have some questions. With
regards to the federal bud-
get, the republican plat-
form where the only way to
stimulate spending is more
tax breaks for the wealthy
and cuts to services to the
elderly does not address
the future.
Another twist is cuts to
Planned Parenthood and
reduction in powers of the
EPA. I can't find the Re-
publican TV channel that
gives us the news that we
don't still have a popula-
tion explosion and major
ecological disasters on a
global basis.
From the most recent
developments the USA and
the humans who occupy it,
are now in place to assist
the corporations in their
global chess games. We are
no more than worker bees
assisting the entitled (G.E.,
BofA, Chase etc.) in their
takeover of the country and
then the world.
Corporate America now
has us humans over a bar-
rel with tax advantages
and the same rights that
you and I have. I may
sound like a wacko with
conspiracy theories about
nothing, except all of it is
true. With our state bud-
get our officials could not
change the tax breaks for
the big banks without a
two-thirds vote. Who did
that for us? Running the
country on the backs of
those who built it in the
first place, the working
class now that they finally
need medical attention,
may be good business, but
it is not going to lead to a
productive nation.
This would appear to be
a nationwide trend with
all the money in the hands
of the richest one percent,
-,are
invested in tax sheltered
federally subsidized busi- be
nesses like big oil and large
enough conglomerates like
GE that do not pay any in-
come taxes.
How can a investment
portfolio lose? GE and
Chase now share the indi-
vidual rights millions have
died to preserve only with,
of course, advantages you
can't afford. This assures
the takeover of America by
the better mousetrap.
Ants and bees are hon-
ored to be part of a larger
entity, aswe humans
should be when our small
businesses and we are ab-
sorbed by corporate Ameri-
ca that continues a tax-free
existence. Welcome to the
largest third world country
on the planet. Please vote
while we still can.
David Beers
Hoodsport
Regarding
Editor, the Journal
One letter writer to the
Journal seems ungrateful
and even churlish to sug-
gest that voters who just
two months ago approved
a 71 percent increase in
the operations and main-
tenance levy for Pioneer
School District "truly do
not care for children" be-
cause a majority rejected
the bond issue to tear down
the existing intermediate
school and build new facil~-
ties at a cost of $27 million.
As another non-starter,
the president of the school
board seems arrogant and
condescending in suggest-
ing that those who voted
• against the bond issue did
not understand the issue.
I suggest that voters
knew what the issues were.
If the school board had
Journal Le er POli
dmsSi rmati0n for:theJo t,
only saved the money it The many, many home-
has wasted on architects, less people came and took
consultants, elections and only one thing and then
propaganda mailed to vet- thanked the young man do-
ers, it would certainly have ing it. He also gave them a
enough money to fix a leak- plastic bag filled with the
ing roof. little necessities of life we
It may be noted that the mostly take for granted,
Public Disclosure Commis- shampoo, soap, toothpaste
sion is currently consider- and brush and the like. I
ing whether the school said, "I can do that."
board has been illegally Many who will read
using school district funds this are no doubt already'
to try to influence the out- doing something like this
come of the election, somewhere here in Shelton
The voters decided in and you are making a dif-
February that it would not ference. This is for those of
be cost effective to spend us who don't know what to
about $65,000 per student, do or where to start. So I've
plus interest on the $24.5 now filled bags with the
million borrowed, for the little necessities of life and
proposed school building, a gift certificate to go eat a
particularly when there is nice meal at a local restau-
no evidence that student rant.
achievement would im- Wende Erickson
prove. The voters may well
make the same choice in
April, not from ignorance The rezone
or penurious disregard for
children, but because they
expect more accountable
spending by our school
board, should be
John Diehl
Harstine Island denied
Helping Editor, theJournal
I take issue with your
those in, editorial of April 7, sup-
porting residential zoning
of lands adjacent to Sand-
erson Field. The reason for
zoning in the first place is
Editor, the Journal to prevent encroachment
of incompatible uses. Resi-
Never let what you can't dential use is well proven
do stop you from doing to be at the top of the list
what you dan do. and will almost certainly
Looking at life that way lead to arguments as the
I decided helping those use of the airport expands
without homes or hearths in the future. Given the
didn't have to be as daunt- overburdened state of our
ingly overwhelming as is highway system along with
first seems. I saw a man in the archaic nature of our
Los Angles, Calif. who took rail lines, all of which now
new and nearly new cloth-
run to capacity for freight,
ing to a certain place each regional airports in the
week and hung it on the
chain link fence, country are going to be-
Id
come our connection to the
outside world.
You cite the location of
Shelton High School as
support for rezoning. Had
you been here back when
the decision was made to
place schools where they
are you would know there
was opposition, primarily
for safety reasons. The port
lacked the leverage then
that zoning provides and
schools were built anyway.
Because schools are open
only during daytime, noise
from low flying aircraft is
seldom a bother. Residen-
tial uses, however, peak
in the mornings, evenings
and on weekends when
residents want peace and
quiet. Because schools are
on the approach end of
the runway the volume of
engine noise is at its low-
est. The residential area in
question is on the take off
end where noise will be the
most annoying.
Last, the existing zoning
of industrial is a better use
for the good of our commu-
nity. The Port of Shelton of-
fers land and buildings for
industrial use but only on a
lease-only basis. The lease
option is good for an under-
capitalized startup compa-
ny. Better-established en-
trepreneurs, however, view
owning as a better invest-
ment. The availability of a
privately owned industrial
park, offering the option to
buy, would greatly enhance
our ability to attract a
wider range of job provid-
ing business The city of
Shelton isn't in existence to
fill the pockets of an out of
town developer with gold; it
has also the responsibility
to do what is best for the
citizen. The rezone request
should be denied.
Norman Eveleth
Shelton
Shelton-Mason County
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