TO THE EDITOR:
As the Occupy Wall Street movement grows, many people are left wondering what the movement is looking for. “Occupy”-ers seem to agree that there is a real need for economic equality in this country, but a clear plan for reform hasn’t emerged. One of the most important issues related to these concerns is one that nobody seems to be talking about: income tax reform.
As the “Occupy”-ers have made clear in recent weeks, economic inequality between the richest of the rich (the top one percent) and the rest of us (the 99 percent) are reaching epic proportions. The fact remains that a small percentage of our citizens own a large majority of our wealth. There’s a clear and simple solution to this massive inequality — tax the rich at a higher rate relative to their income using a simple, clear, and understandable tax code.
The structure of our tax system has been broken for years. The last major tax reform overhaul was in 1986, so we’ve been overdue for quite some time. Special interest taxes have quickly complicated an already difficult to understand code. Members of both parties have expressed interest in changing the way we pay taxes and fund our government. But the problems continue to mount, and the code continues to become overly complex. Loopholes are abundant, and less than ethical citizens are quick to take advantage.
America needs an audit, and we need it now.
Brent Williams
Senior
Communication Studies
