Time to scrap current tax code developed by greedy politicians

Time to scrap current tax code developed by greedy politicians

Corporations are beating a path to relocate their headquarters to countries with tax rates lower than America’s world-leading 35 percent. They are being roundly criticized for what the public perceives as a lack of patriotism. Politicians, from the president to Congress to local pols without a grand opening to attend are leading the torch-and-pitchfork march to punish the monsters. It’s a political dream — making corporations the whipping boy — to divert attention from our overly complex, loophole-riddled, nearly incomprehensible tax code which our political leaders developed. They built the code (code, how appropriate) with lots of input from their biggest campaign contributors, who, golly gee, happen to be corporations and their well-heeled management teams and agents. The resulting tax provisions have less to do with the public good than political expediency. Once again, the greedy quest for political power has sold us down the tube to capitalism whose lifeblood is the pursuit of profit. And we are shocked and surprised by corporations exercising their rights under the code?

Ever look for a lower price for anything? You’re a capitalist. Ever invest in anything like stocks, bonds, a business start-up with an expectation of profit? You’re a capitalist. In a capitalist society, corporations live on profits earned by providing goods and services better, faster, at lower cost than their competitors, period. The role of government in a capitalist society is not to play favorites (read specific loophole, exemption, tax break) by agreeing to thousands of complex rules as a favor to corporate supporters. The role of government is to ensure the cost of the common good is shared — everybody pays, no one pays more than an agreed upon, by plebiscite, maximum. This idea will always be labeled naive and simplistic first by politicians, followed by their lobbyists buddies, tax lawyers and accountants. All of them have a vested interest in convincing you that how they take and use your money is too complex for you to understand.

Fix the disgrace passing for government by taking the money out of politics for profit and leaving profit to corporations that provide useful goods and services. Start by scrapping the current tax code along with the “holier-than-thou” pronouncements of politicians who built the code for their own benefit and now wax patriotic when their handiwork becomes a cause of public uproar.

Jim Cartwright, Canfield