I hate paying income tax. Who doesn't? But it would be so much less painful if it were easier to prepare one's income tax. A simpler tax form would also restore fairness, as the current tax code is so full of loopholes, anyone with a good attorney and/or accountant can avoid paying any income tax at all. And a simpler form would probably significantly reduce the estimated 6 billion hours that Americans spend dealing with income tax matters each year.
The same form could be used by states by simply changing the percentage of the net income. Obviously the federal government and state government cannot each demand more than 50% of one's net income. I would say 50% is reasonable for the federal government and 5% for the state. Using this form the tax on my middle class income is about the same as with the extraordinarily complex current form. But a wealthy person's or a corporation's income tax would undoubtedly be considerably higher with my form than with the current form, a concept that doesn't cause me to lose any sleep.
So here's my idea for a simplified income tax form for individuals. I would propose a similarly simplified form for companies so that all companies pay their fair share of the income tax burden.
To use this form, fill in lines 1 through 9 (enter zero in lines that do not apply to you) and click on the "Calculate" button.