Income tax

My two principles of tax reform:

• Make the return fit on a postcard
• Make people cut a check for the whole amount on April 15

Both of these are examples like I mentioned yesterday of policies that make sense but have no chance of being enacted, because

• The massive tax code and its pages of loopholes are a vehicle that delivers pork, which is the way politicians are reelected, and also keep tax shelters in business.
• If people had to write a check for 20% of their yearly income once a year, the government would see a huge rise in the number of people that just couldn't pay the amount.

The benefit to #1 is obvious. The benefit to #2 would be that people would feel the effects much more deeply and would be a little more interested in where their money was actually going.