Forbes on Income Tax Changes

In Steve Forbes’ article, “Make Them Give Back Our Money” (Commentary, Aug. 7), he lists 10 things Congress should do to modify the income tax and ends with a “pro-growth, pro-family, single rate system.” Does anyone really believe that Congress won’t find amendments that will give special treatment for their friends?

The only way to resolve this problem is to eliminate the income tax completely. It can be done, as I have written previously, by imposing a 0.15% tax on international monetary transactions, which would yield over a trillion dollars per year. In fact, now would be a good time to pursue this approach because of the worldwide monetary problems. Since all other countries would have to do the same thing, they might be able to revive their monetary systems and have time to modify them.

It took 25 to 30 years for the European Monetary Union to get set up--perhaps we could do it before the 199th anniversary of the income tax.

HOWARD NIEDERMAN

San Clemente

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If Forbes runs again for president, he can count on my vote! His commentary makes good sense in attacking our current taxation system.

But I think he should go one step further and suggest we replace the current confusing, complicated and burdensome system with a simple sales tax--one easy tax to cover all the monetary needs of our governing bodies. Make life easier, not continuously more difficult, for our citizens. And look at all the time we would save.

GEORGE EPSTEIN

Los Angeles