The Flat Tax (Second Edition)

"Published in 1985 and being revised, it remains the flat-tax bible." —Forbes magazine

"Hall and Rabushka clearly explain issues like the double tax on saving, the negative effects on high marginal tax rates, and the distributional consequences of the current labyrinth of deductions and exemptions. The Hall-Rabushka proposal is a good one and this book explains it in clear simple terms. Anyone interested in the issue of tax reform will surely find The Flat Tax to be worthwhile reading." —Wall Street Review of Books

"Hall and Rabushka present a remarkably lucid and persuasive analysis of what is wrong with our present tax system and offer a radical, yet thoroughly practicable alternative. Substitution of their simple flat-rate tax for our present incredibly complicated tax system would be a major step forward toward revitalizing the U. S. economy." —Milton Friedman, Noble laureate in economics

First proposed twenty-five years ago, the flat tax concept has since been adopted by six states—Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Pennsylvania—and several countries around the world. In this new and updated edition of The Flat Tax, Robert Hall and Alvin Rabushka set forth what many believe is the most fair, efficient, simple, and workable tax reform plan on the table: tax all income, once only, at a uniform rate of 19 percent. Hall and Rabushka go beyond mere academic abstraction, designing new tax forms, rewriting tax regulations, and working out all the practical details. They show how all wage earners would pay less tax than under the current system, flat tax plan tax returns could be filed on a postcard, and April 15 would no longer be a national nightmare!

Robert E. Hall and Alvin Rabushka are senior fellows at the Hoover Institution.

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