45% Won't Pay Any Income Tax at All

If you really want to reform the tax code, start here:

As Monday’s tax filing deadline nears, ponder this: The super rich pay a lot less taxes than they did a couple of decades ago, and nearly half of U.S. households pay no income taxes at all....

There are so many breaks that 45 percent of U.S. households will pay no federal income tax for 2010, according to estimates by the Tax Policy Center, a Washington think tank.

The sheer volume of credits, deductions and exemptions has both Democrats and Republicans calling for tax laws to be overhauled. House Republicans want to eliminate breaks to pay for lower overall rates, reducing the top tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent.

Every person in this country has the benefit of numerous federal programs from highways to airports to the military that protects us, and yet nearly half make no contribution to those costs at all. That's why I've long been a proponent of some sort of minimal tax rate for every person, regardless of income. We all need to participate, and when 45% pay no income tax they have no reason to involve themselves in the process of determining who is making those spending decisions...except to vote for the people who promise to keep them freeloading.