Electronic tax meters

[Questioner]

This is an idea for creating a new, fairer system of taxation.

Suppose that all public state or federal services (e.x. roads, mail, public libraries, etc) came equipped with electronic meters which monitor people's usage of them, like toll roads or parking meters.

Then every year, the people would be billed according to the percentage of actual usage, rather than fixed income or sales tax rates.

Realistically, this may be extremely difficult or costly to implement, but it's an idea nonetheless.

 

[Dick Foster]

This is an idea for creating a new, fairer system of taxation.

Suppose that all public state or federal services (e.x. roads, mail, public libraries, etc) came equipped with electronic meters which monitor people's usage of them, like toll roads or parking meters.

Then every year, the people would be billed according to the percentage of actual usage, rather than fixed income or sales tax rates.

Realistically, this may be extremely difficult or costly to implement, but it's an idea nonetheless.

I have a much simpler and drop dead easy to implement idea. A straight across the board flat rate income tax with no twists or turns. Everyone pays the same percentage irregardless of source or anything else, NO write offs for anything and no perceptions for anyone at any level. Its the same say 20% for everyone.
It's the equal pain theory as the same 20% is equally painful for everyone regardless of income. I do realize however that this is very unfair to those with higher incomes as they are paying much much more than those on the bottom end. However to restore a sense of fairness to the system, everyone gets to sit down at the end of the tax year and earmark exactly how their tax dollars are to be spent. This of course takes the checkbook away from the politicians who piss most of it away and is much more democratic.
This way no one can complain about how their tax dollars are spent. If you want to piss yours away on nonsense then so be it. If the roads start to go to hell people would soon rectify the situation on their own.
In the end I think it would all work out in the wash and we'd soon see just exactly where the bear shits in the buckwheat.