The US Senate held a hearing on the Tax Gap earlier this week. Three organisations submitted evidence, of which one was Citizens for Tax Justice, with whom the Tax Justice Network has a close working relationship in the USA.
Bob McIntyre’s presentation was masterful. It does three things:
1) It shows that Bush really is making the tax problem in the USA worse and social injustice is rising as a result;
2) It shows that the Tax Gap can be tackled;
3) Presents cogent argument in favour of Bob’s conclusion, which is:
The stakes in tax evasion are very high, and the forces in favor of maintaining the status quo are well-financed and very politically connected. But it’s our money the tax cheats are stealing. On behalf of honest taxpayers, CTJ calls on federal lawmakers do something about it.
There’s one other point of interest. All three presentations to the Senate hearing had one thing in common. Simplifying the tax code will help. We agree with that, although the UK problem is not nearly as bad as that in the US. But, simplifying the tax code is not the same as having a flat tax. that’s something from another planet.
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“those who earn other kinds of non-wage income or have the means to purchase high-priced,
albeit shady tax advice have vast opportunities to avoid or evade taxes. And sadly, many of
them take advantage of those opportunities. These are the Americans who need help in
complying with their tax responsibilities.”
I particularly liked the last sentence. Bob is a skilled diplomat
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