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Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Total Nonsense: Rick Perry's Optional Flat Tax

Here is a quick question: if you were someone who could take advantage of the loopholes and other quirks of the current tax code to pay very little tax, would you file under an alternate plan that set your tax rate at a flat 20%? The answer is obvious. Essentially all people will file their taxes under the plan that requires them to pay the least. This is the critical flaw in the new optional tax plan put forth by Rick Perry. Those taxpayers who are now getting favored treatment through all of the loopholes and gimmicks in the current system will not opt for the new flat tax. Why should they? Who actually wants to pay more tax? Even Warren Buffet is still fighting the IRS over a huge sum in back taxes that he says he does not owe.

Perry's plan is only the latest misstep in his otherwise dismal campaign. He ought to get out of the race. He is just wasting America's time.

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