The Flat Taxers

Well, today I have been checking out the websites of Former Governor Mike Huckabee (R - Arkansas) and Senator Sam Brownback (R - Kansas).

Gov. Huckabee's site has the URL www.explorehuckabee.com (which sounds more like a proctology exam than a campaign for President) and proclaims that "I will promote pro-growth tax policies, perhaps even the idea of true flat tax."

A little less doubt for Sen. Brownback who states "I support a flat tax concept that simplifies tax preparation, applies a low tax rate to all Americans, and respects the special financial burden carried by American families raising children." The last phrase implying something less than flatness.

Tax policy is admirable, but like all the candidate websites I have visited so far (with the notable exception of Sen. H.R. Clinton} these are short on details and specifics. A flat tax proposal is something that really needs specificity. The much reviled Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) is a flat tax. It is reviled not for its flatness but for the fact it doesn't allow individuals in states with high personal income taxes to deduct their paid-to-state taxes. Once a taxpayer is kicked over to the AMT it is essentially a 26% flat tax on taxable income (deduct $62,550 married; $42,500 single) up to $175,000; 28% over $175,000 with only mortgage interest on a primary residence allowed as a deduction. Do these flat-tax twins support the AMT? Or do they have another flat tax proposal?

The first principle of government tax policy is: If you want less of something, tax it; if you more of something, subsidize it (my apologies to whoever said this first).

All flat tax proposal share the common characteristics of 1) having at least two tax tiers (the AMT has three) and 2) punishing efforts that create wealth (a property of all income taxes). What are the tax policy goals of the flat-tax twins?