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How to Reclaim America -- Part 2

This is part 2 of a series of studies on reclaiming America. In previous discussions, we have stated a belief that our Government spending and borrowing is out of control, and that a step in the right direction would be to place them on a fixed income.

The first part of RECLAIMING AMERICA belongs to us. As the Church goes, so goes the nation! Who better to “call for justice and plead for truth”, as Isaiah teaches, than she who holds justice and truth in her bosom? This second part belongs to the Frustrated American Taxpayer.

“No taxation without representation” was the rallying cry of the United States Revolutionary war. The phrase, "taxation without representation is tyranny", coined by James Otis, of that era, best represents the dissent of our Colonial ancestors.

James OtisBoston Tea Party

The Atlantic Ocean separated them from their representative government. Today, with our representative government with us on the same continent, we are still hearing that sentiment. The problem was not then, nor is it now, distance or geological barrier. Oppressive taxation, with oppressive representation is still tyranny.

At the Federal level, massive taxing, spending, and borrowing has caused our national public debt to reach an unsustainable $12.8 trillion at 90.4% GDP level in 2009. There are over 67,000 pages in our US Tax Code. From the Wall Street Journal to National Public Radio, everyone is saying, “We Still Need a Simpler Tax Code.” The IRS web site lists 46 pages of 1,134 tax forms, and 32 sheets of 784 tax publications. Our Tax Freedom Day, in 2010, is May 29.

http://www.irs.gov/app/picklist/list/formsInstructions.html?sortColumn=sortOrder&indexOfFirstRow=0&value=&criteria=&resultsPerPage=25&isDescending=true

Albert Einstein, who died back in the 1950s, said that filing tax forms “. . . is too difficult for a mathematician. It takes a philosopher.”

Today, filing tax forms has stumped even the philosophers.

This is a picture of the single page incometax form, used in 1913.

At state and local levels, our representatives tax us with State Income Tax, Sales and Use Tax, Franchise Tax, Property Tax, Poll Tax, Land Value Tax, Estate Tax, Inheritance Tax, Gift Tax, Ad Valorem Tax, and ad infinitum

tax.

There are divine boundaries which are crossed by governments who oppress their subjects with heavy taxation, and unjust laws. Can you think of passages of scripture which address this?

(Ezekiel 46:18) Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance by oppression, to thrust them out of their possession; but he shall give his sons inheritance out of his own possession: that my people be not scattered every man from his possession.

(Proverbs 28:15) As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.

(Proverbs 29:2) When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

(Proverbs 29:4) The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.

We all know that all of the abominations that are thrust upon us are leading up to a “One World Government”, a “New World Order.” It has all been prophesied in God’s word.

The question is “What does God expect of the Church, as we see that day approaching?” We know that we are to witness, to all of the unsaved, down to the last man, as long as we have breath. Most of modern Christianity hold the belief that this is all that we can do, and

that there is no hope of being able to make a cultural difference in any other way.

If this is true, why are we now seeing hopeful signs of positive cultural changes in other countries?

http://www.freedomandprosperity.org/videos/flattax/flattax.shtml

Watch this 6 minute video and be prepared to discuss it

There is a positive global revolution in progress in our time.

Flat Tax Jurisdictions by Year of Enactment & Tax RateJersey 1940 20%Hong Kong 1947 16%Guernsey 1960 20%Estonia 1994 22% (Originally 26%)Latvia 1995 25%Lithuania 1996 27% (Originally 33%)Russia 2001 13%Serbia 2003 14%Slovakia 2004 19%Ukraine 2004 15% (Originally 13%)Romania 2005 16%Georgia 2005 12%Iceland 2007 35.7%Mongolia 2007 10%Kyrgyzstan 2007 10%Macedonia 2007 12%   Future Flat Tax Jurisdictions/Goes Into Effect/Tax RateMontenegro 2007 15%Mauritius 2009 15%   Active Consideration/Target Date/Proposed RateAlbania 2008 10%Czech Republic 2008 15%East Timor 2008? 5-10%   

More nations are considering the flat tax. The Czech Republic and Bulgaria are among the nations that just adopted the flat tax. Mauritius also just joined the flat tax club. Single-rate tax systems currently are being discussed in Poland and Hungary. There is even a growing interest in flat tax systems in Western Europe - a debate that presumably will intensify because of tax competition.  No nation has returned to a so-called progressive tax. Notwithstanding faulty analysis from the IMF, the flat tax seems to be remarkably resilient. None of the flat tax nations have returned to a discriminatory rate structure. The most recent threats to single-rate regimes came in Russia, where lawmakers overwhelmingly rejected a scheme to create a progressive system with a top rate of 30 percent. More impressive, Slovakian voters in 2006 elected a coalition of socialists and nationalists, leading many to conclude that this did not bode well for the flat tax implemented by the outgoing government. Yet Slovakia's new leaders decided not to tinker with the goose that was laying golden eggs and the flat tax seems securely enshrined.

http://www.assetprotectioncorp.com/flattax2.htmlFlat Tax popular in former communist nationsDuring his recent trip to Europe, President Bush went out of his way to praise the growing number of countries that have done away with their complicated tax codes and adopted a flat tax. The President speaks for a growing number of Americans who are embracing the idea, among them actor/director Clint Eastwood, who said few years back that adopting a flat tax would mean "a little old lady on a home computer [could do] the work of all these thousands of bureaucrats and accountants. Passing that would be amazing, wouldn't it?“ The bipartisan tax-reform commission appointed by President Bush will no doubt look carefully at the global spread of the flat tax, a concept hailed by its supporters because it is simple to calculate, is harder to cheat on, encourages investment and fosters economic growth. It’s no small wonder it's catching on in Eastern Europe. In 1994, newly independent Baltic state of Estonia borrowed the idea of the flat tax from highly prosperous Hong Kong, which 45 years before had introduced a dual income tax system, which allowed taxpayers to pay a flat rate on their gross income. Soon after, Lithuania and Latvia followed Estonia's lead. Today, the economies of all three Baltic states are booming, and, along with Slovakia, a recent convert to the flat tax, they are the least-taxed countries in the European Union.

G.K. Chesterton, in his 1928 review of the book, The Open Conspiracy, by H.G. Wells, said that “. . . the real difficulty of representative government is how to make it representative, even in the smallest of small nationalities, even in the nearest parish council.”

Now, let’s explore this idea of flat tax one step beyond what we heard in the video.

Taxes pay for representation. What are we getting for our money?

Chesterton had the key. Make government representative “even in the nearest parish council.”

Establish local level, locally accountable, and locally elected tax authorities -- one for each county or common number of regions within each state.

Set an immediate, and permanent income tax ceiling of 10% for all individual and corporate taxpayers.

With the exception of tariffs on foreign goods and services, phase out, over a period of 3 years, all other local, state, and federal tax forms and systems.

Require that a maximum 20%, of the locally collected taxes be paid to each of their respective states’ single tax authority, and require a maximum of 15% of each state’s collected taxes be paid to a single federal tax authority.

(Numbers 18:26) Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe.

(Deuteronomy 14:22) Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

(2 Chronicles 31:5) And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.

(Nehemiah 10:38) And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house.

Would God approve of this idea of a flat 10% tax?

We, the people of the United States of America, hereby petition for immediate enactment of this flat and fair, single and simple tax reform proposal, defined in the foregoing paragraph.

<a href="http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/tax-reform.html">Online petition - Tax Reform - Flat and Fair, Single and Simple</a>

Now put all of this into a simple one page document, and close it with words like this:

Access this Internet link