Scrap the Code -- Fundamental Tax Reform by 2004

Civil War prompts creation of 3% income tax in 1861

Congress repeals the income tax in 1872

In 1894, Congress enacts a 2% tax on income; the Supreme Court declares it unconstitutional the next year

The National income tax was reinstated in 1913 as the 16th Amendment to the Constitution

New Deal's Wealth Tax Act punishes wealthy taxpayers in 1935 with rates approaching 75% of income

Revenue Act of 1942 dramatically expands the scope of the income tax, growing the tax base from 5% of the population to 74% by the end of World War Two

The Tax Code is a Disaster

We all know that taxes are too high, but the current code is also too complicated and unfair. In fact, America wastes millions of hours simply filling out tax forms. The cost is staggering. The non-partisan Tax Foundation estimates that tax code compliance costs amounted to $194 billion in 2002! In other words, for every dollar of revenue that goes to fund government spending, taxpayers pay a compliance surcharge of 20 cents just to help the government collect taxes.

That’s an extraordinary amount of waste, and instead of slaving to satisfy the whims of Congress and the I.R.S. bureaucracy, this cost is time we could actually spend working, or enjoying our friends and families.

Other countries must think we’re crazy, too. By global standards, the United States has one of the most complex tax codes in the world. The current tax code obviously undermines our competitiveness, as American businesses tangle with an ever-growing sprawl of red tax tape. Income tax regulations, which provide taxpayers with the “guidance” they need to calculate their taxable income, have grown exponentially from 572,000 words in 1955 to 5,947,000 words by 2000. No wonder that there isn’t a single person in the world capable of actually understanding our entire tax code.

It's time to scrap this bungled mess of code and rules, and return to a system that is simple, low, fair, and honest. Please sign the petition and join the fight!