>>>>http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2202020,00.html
>>>>
>>>>next person to moan about tax please let me know if taxation is actually making you poor.
>>>>
>>>
>>>Moaning about taxes is an American national pastime. I would venture to guess a high percentage of the moaners don't realize how low our income taxes are compared to those in other developed countries.
>>
>>Its a common thread here as well. I can see that complicated taxation is a pain and results in a lot of duplication of collection methods from different agencies. But at the end of the day a government provides a lot of services and a fee has to be paid.
>
>This is exactly why I believe in the idea of a flat tax based on gross income. Your income is higher, you pay more tax. No loopholes to find, no shelters to hide under.

Unfortunately the very wealthy will always find ways to hide income but I agree that one simple flat tax would be easier. But perhaps it should be on sales not income. So if you spend a lot you pay a lot of tax. Make necessities (food etc) zero rated.