Imagine working at a place that instead of paying time and half for overtime, they decided you were making to much for your extra work and decide to pay a little less instead of a little more.  Now imagine they also used other factors to determine how much money you made.  Such as rather you had a home mortgage, student loans, kids in college, how much you gave to charity, and tons of other factors.  Sounds complicated doesn't it.  Most people would not have much of incentive to work for such a place.  Why would you work extra just to get a pay cut. and what right would a company have to tell how to spend your money.  I am sure most of you would hate working for such a company,  but yet we see nothing wrong with the federal government doing it.

This is why a flat tax would just make more sense, after a few standard deductions that everyone would get you would simply pay a certain percentage to the federal government.  Everybody would know what rate they were paying.  Most politicians hate this idea, sure they give the excuses, no one would buy a house, or give to charity if they didn't get a tax break for it.  Since the rich earn more they should pay more.   This is what they tell you, but the fact is most politicians hate the idea because they might have to work to stay in office.

Lets face it the tax code as it is is more than a way for the government generate revenue.  It a way for politicians to generate votes.  Want to get some votes from recent college grad.  Give them an exemption for student loan interest.  Want get votes from the working poor.  Simply cut their taxes.  Want to get a ton of votes from the poor raise taxes on the rich.  That one is probably my favorite.  To help the poor raise taxes on the ones that are building new businesses, hiring people, and helping the economy grow.  Yeah sounds like your really helping the poor by taxing those rich.

Now imagine a system where after a standard deduction everyone would get and a deduction for your kids everyone would simply pay the same percentage on their remaining income.  Imagine politicians would no longer be able to use class warfare as a way to get votes.  The rich would no longer have a disincentive to make more money, therefore more jobs would be created.  Overall taxes would be lower.  Can you imagine during peacetime politicians trying to justify a tax increase.  They could no longer simply raise it on one on class of people and somehow act like it was helping everyone one else.  A tax increase on one would be a tax increase on all.   Maybe a flat income tax would make April 15 a little less dreadful.