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Good discussion B_B1, but we don't have a flat tax now (or anything close to it) because of all the deductions and loopholes. With a real "flat tax" the tax payments are scalable: if you make $1M a year and the tax is 20%, then you pay $200K in taxes. If you make $100K a year, you pay $20K in taxes. If you make $50K a year, you pay $10K in taxes. I do believe that there needs to be an exemption (and minimum tax of a small percentage so that everyone has "skin in the game") and to avoid the 48% of the "gamers" we have now that take everything the governments gives, but give absolutely nothing to the pot! I don't know exactly that point, but let’s say $35K and under for a starting point. Those folks have to pay around $1K a year in taxes. This is scalable, everyone pays the same "fair" amount, and the income to the federal and state governments is much more predictable and better able to fit into a real "zero" based budgeting process.
As to mortgages and charities, it has been studied that getting rid of mortgage deductions would actually spur homeownership because the people have more disposable income in their pockets, or at least know what their tax expenditures are to better plan a savings plan for down payments. The same could hold true for charities. I have looked at plans that leave only those two in place, and that may be a good compromise, but cut all the other deductions and loopholes.