I'm working undercover for the man
Did you know the IRS budget FY05 is $10.674 billion dollars? The US budget FY05 is $2.479 trillion, with receipts tallying $2,053 billion. So the IRS budget is less than .5% of total outlaid spending, and less than 1% of total income recieved. The deficit then totals $427 billion, of which the IRS budget is less than 10%. Strange, because the cover article of the Economist for April 16th-22nd states:
Estimates for the United States...put the cost of compliance, administration and enforcement between 10% and 20% of revenue collected. (That sum, by the way, is equivalent to between one-quarter and one-half the government's deficit).
I'm completely on board with reduced spending and decreased taxes, but if you're going to argue for the flat tax in a reputable magazine like the Economist, shouldn't you get your numbers right?
Maybe they were thinking of Clinton-era budget numbers.
Estimates for the United States...put the cost of compliance, administration and enforcement between 10% and 20% of revenue collected. (That sum, by the way, is equivalent to between one-quarter and one-half the government's deficit).
I'm completely on board with reduced spending and decreased taxes, but if you're going to argue for the flat tax in a reputable magazine like the Economist, shouldn't you get your numbers right?
Maybe they were thinking of Clinton-era budget numbers.