Together, we spend over 6 million hours and more than $220 billion filing our taxes each year– whether that’s paying an accountant or purchasing tax software. Many have asked why the system is so confusing and expensive in the first place. In government’s endless quest to manipulate our behavior and redistribute wealth, we’ve ended up with a tax system that doesn’t end up working for anyone.
Our tax code is one of the most complicated in the world. Its 70,000 pages are full of regulations and loopholes that hurt our economy and take money from families and small businesses to give to special interests.
Small business owners are often forced to make decisions based on the tax code – such as the employer mandate under Obamacare – rather the ones that would grow their company and create new jobs. If only they could keep more of their own money, they could buy new equipment, hire more workers, or even give raises.
And while our tax code is greatly in need of change, so is the agency that oversees it. The lack of accountability and transparency at the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is not only troubling – it is an abuse of power. Last year we found out the IRS targeted conservative-leaning groups. The head of the IRS has also announced that it will do its part in implementing President Obama’s lawless amnesty by making thousands of dollars in payments to illegal aliens.
It’s time to radically alter the tax code and the IRS. We can do both by making the tax code far simpler and fairer. Chairman Paul Ryan of the House Ways and Means committee will soon be putting forth the House Republican proposal. In addition, I have re-introduced my bi-partisan bill, H.R 1397, the Seniors’ Tax Simplification Act, which would make filing for seniors dramatically simpler and quicker.
Lastly, we must repeal Obamacare. When fully implemented, Obamacare will impose a total of around 20 new taxes on families and small businesses. This March I, along with my colleagues in the House helped pass a budget to repeal the law in its entirety, including all regulations, mandates and taxes.
I will continue working hard to reform our broken tax code and make the process easier, cheaper and less confusing for all. We need a tax code that works for everyone.
5 thoughts on “Fleming: Tax code in need of change”
Please don’t tell me that the solution will be another un-passable flat-tax or sales-tax solution. I am tired of hearing the excuse that if business owners could keep more money, then they would pay more, because it’s a bald-faced lie. Most people, when given extra cash, are going to put it back into their own pocket rather than dole it back out. I’ve seen this live, in action, my entire adult working life and you will be hard pressed to convince me that a tax tweak is going to change this behavior for the better for wage workers.
Concerning Obamacare, what are the strongest alternatives being put forth by Republicans? If you want to repeal it, fine — but is the goal to return to the status quo that resulted in the call for Obamacare in the first place? Are their plans to protect the provision that prevents insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions? What about doing things Obamacare DOESN’T do, like simplifying hospital billing (so that patients don’t get 20 different invoices from different unknown entities after a procedure), blocking medical entities from submitting invoices to collection before ever sending the first bill (very common practice), making hospital charges transparent to consumers BEFORE non-emergency treatment, and putting a stop to predatory charge discrepancies between uninsured patients and insured ones (such as charging Bill No-Insurance $9,000 dollars for the exact same procedure that might be billed to an insurance company at only $700). Resolving the latter issue would take some of the bite out of our over-dependence on insurance to get any kind of care, and might even cut down on non-payment.
Is this an essay you wrote in 8th grade, perhaps just substituting civil rights legislation with this trite, sophomoric “TEA” rant?
You really know how to go out on a limb with your public commentary.
Social Security, aka FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) is 50% funded by the taxpayer’s after tax income. Up to 85% of taxpayer’s benefits are again taxed upon receipt. This double taxation should be eliminated or at least returned to Social Security to help maintain it’s solvency rather than put in the general fund. This and the many social and special interest aspects of the tax code have made it incomprehensible to the layman, and to most experts both in and out of government. When was the last time a congressman or president did his own taxes?
U.S. Representative John Fleming, You know the only plan that will do the things you say you want to do: Make it more transparent, help American businesses, large and small, and get rid of the corruption of the IRS. Get back on board H.R. 25, The FairTax Act!
Abolish IRS, EPA and other unnecessary departments, cut Congress’ pay and allowances and we would be able to pay off our debts.