O'Neill Urged to Push US Tax Simplification
Wall Street Journal Online (02/12/01) No. 3719 p.B5; Martin, Fowler W.
The Tax Executives Institute, the American Institute of CPAs,
and the tax section of the American Bar Association are all asking
Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill to push simplification of the tax code
while the fiscal climate is good. The groups say that U.S. taxpayers
cannot cope with tax law without expending considerable resources,
adding that citizens have lost respect for the system. They have
written a letter that offers O'Neill a variety of recommendations in 16
categories, with repeal of the individual and corporate Alternative
Minimum Tax (AMT) regimes at the top of the list. Many policy makers
think reformation of the AMT is a good idea, but changes are hard to
legislate. The groups have their eyes on other areas for reform as
well, namely various foreign provisions, "phase-outs," the independent
contractor test, capital gains, retirement security and pension rules,
the Earned Income Credit, education incentives, estimated tax payment
rules, and expiring tax provisions. O'Neill has indicated interest in
the idea of rewriting the entire tax system. Some reformers believe
that the more complex the system gets, the more the public will demand
change.