All anyone needs to know about taxes is that every tax comes out of someone’s income. The first tax in history was an income tax, and it is still the only one that makes sense. Dozens of verses in the Bible tell us what a fair income tax would be: 10 percent. According to Saint Matthew, a tax collector, Jesus said paying taxes is the right thing to do. He also said it is harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, and that’s why we have the screwed up tax structure we have in this state.
Washington’s revenue from taxes averages 8.9 percent of income, but it is very uneven because we do not have an income tax.
If we had a flat income tax of 10 percent and no other taxes, the state would take in more revenue with much less wasteful bureaucracy. Everyone in the state would know that everyone else is paying the same rate, so there would be no worry that anyone is taking advantage. All the state would have to do is collect 10 percent of everyone’s AGI (already calculated on line 37 of IRS Form 1040). People who itemize could deduct it from federal income and get a bigger refund. All else is political B.S.
I-1098 is the first step toward a flat income tax. Vote for it and for commissioners and state representatives who are smart enough to make it work.
Jim Bruner
Oak Harbor