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Reports that Europe is exploring the public policy of the flat-rate income tax. Statement that flat-rate income tax offers one low income tax rate paid by all but the poorest wage-earners; Benefits of the flat tax, including the removal of tax loopholes for the rich; Report that Russia and other eastern countries have enacted flat taxes.

Presents a letter to the editor in response to the article "Fact and Comment," arguing in favor of a flax tax system in the U.S., in the May 9, 2005 issue of "Forbes."

The article looks at tax reform and flat-tax momentum in countries around the world. Flat-tax momentum is the big fiscal policy story of the year in much of Europe, with potential fallout in the U.S. High-tax fiefdoms like France and Sweden are feeling besieged. The present chief executive officer of Intel, Paul Otellini, told a U.S. presidential panel on tax reform that his biggest worry in deciding where in the world to build and operate a semi-conductor chip factory is taxes. In the mid-1990s, about the time U.S. reform advocates picked up on a flat-tax notion tried successfully in Hong Kong for decades, the newly free Baltics and central Europe put the idea into practice. A plan put forward to U.S. President George W. Bush's tax reform commission, the brainchild of Yale Law professor Michael Graetz, would have a flat 25% tax on married couples with gross income in excess of $100,000 and singles with gross income above $50,000.

The article presents the comments of journalists, politicians, and public figures related to politics and government in the U.S. as of June 6, 2005. Discussion of suicide bombings committed by Iraqi insurgents; Arguments in favor of a flat taxation policy in the U.S.; Potential benefits of creating private investments accounts within Social Security; Views of actor James Earl Jones on the function and significance of memory.

The article analyzes the domestic economic policies of President George W. Bush. President Bush has made it clear that he wants a thorough overhaul of both Social Security and the federal income tax code. The President shouldn't settle for half measures. His first-term commission on Social Security recommended that workers, if they so chose, could put up to 2% of their Social Security taxes into personal accounts. Critics carp that we would have to float bonds to help pay Social Security beneficiaries during the long transition to a more private system. So what? These bonds won't increase the real national debt. Obviously these personal accounts would have numerous safeguards, including major diversification. And individuals who didn't wish to take stock market risks could have all their monies go into government bonds and/or government-insured bank CDs. The President should be just as bold with our corruptly complex tax code. Replace it with a flat tax, which would also be a tax cut. Such radical initiatives could rightly win this President an exaltedly high historical place among his presidential peers.

The author comments on the corporate tax bill, the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004. It's a wholesale rejection of the kind of straightforward tax code both political parties say they want. Congress used the opportunity to dole out corporate tax breaks for 200,000 "manufacturers"--a term folded, spindled, and mutilated to include coffee roasting, movies, shopping malls, and NASCAR. The problem is not that the 600-odd-page act (with 600 more pages of explanations) is an unwieldy aberration. In America's swollen tax code there is nary an industry, an interest, or a hope that doesn't have a tax break aimed at it. It might not be possible to find an American who opposes the idea of a simpler tax code, but you can bet that when farm-state Senators went home after that vote, no one took them to task for getting more ethanol subsidies. Railroad executives would no doubt prefer a simpler code too, but there wasn't a peep from them about the weird little tax credit they got for maintaining their tracks. Polls routinely show that Americans favor a simpler code. But simplicity's appeal is abstract. Complexity, in the form of tax breaks for all, is adored in real life. To go really simple--a flat tax, for example, or a national consumption tax--would require losing much-loved deductions, such as those for mortgage interest and child care. Faced with such choices, enthusiasm for simplicity shrinks.

This article offers quotes and comments on the national scene. Marty Peretz, editor in chief of the New Republic, attacks John Kerry's foreign policy. Mayrav Wurmser of the Hudson Institute says it has been a tough year for proponents and allies of Arab liberalism who have spent a decade trying to solicit Arab good will only to find the Arab world holds the U.S. in so much contempt and hatred. Stephen Moore is arguing for a flat tax. Chris Edwards of the Cato Institute argues that risky entitlements need to be turned over to private entrepreneurs.

Focuses on the concept of flat tax rate on income as now being adopted by many Communist nations. View that a flat tax would establish a simple, low-rate system that would provide enormous incentives for economic growth, save money and spare taxpayers the countless headaches of complying with the current incomprehensible, corrupt tax code; Information on Russia, which enacted a flat tax two years ago; Report that Estonia and Latvia enacted a similar tax in the mid-1990s; Influence on China after seeing the success of Hong Kong's variation on a flat tax.

Presents comments related to business and politics around the world published in various journals. Change in leadership in the communication sector; Success of Russia's flat tax rates policy; Comment on the U.S. Supreme Court decision related to racial gap in academic performance; Concern of the United Nations in keeping peace; Claim that news channel CNN spiked stories for 12 years to protect CNN employees and Iraqi sources.

This article reports that Slovakia has adopted a 19 percent flat rate for individual and corporate income tax under Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda. Slovakia's move follows that of Estonia, Ukraine, Latvia, and Russia. Slovakia intends to compensate existing investors who will lose tax breaks when the country joins the European Union in 2004.

The article presents the feelings of the author with regards to the failures of Democrats in the United States. Most Democrats are in denial about their one glaring, elephant-size flaw--a lack of positive ideas. For the good of themselves and the country, Democrats need a big transfusion of "yes" spirit. Democrats should completely disrupt the Republicans by saying "yes" to a flat tax. The Democrats have always said that about Republicans-but never to much effect. The Democrats should not carp about America's love of cars and sport utility vehicles. They should say "yes" to smart alternatives. One of them is cheap broadband--megabits per second, $10 per month--enough to make teleschooling, telecommuting and teleshopping preferable to the gas hog.

Presents information on the tax system in Russia. Increase in the personal tax collections after Russian President Vladimir Putin discarded the tax system and replaced it with 13% flat tax.

The article presents the author's view on how the marriage tax penalty be eliminated in a fair and simple way. He emphasizes that marriage tax can be eliminated by just taxing the earnings of husbands and wives as single individuals. He also points out that conversion to a flat income tax is one way of eliminating the marriage tax.

Presents several articles on flat tax issues in the United States published in various magazines. Simplification of the tax code by Joshua Micah Marshall, published in the May-June 1998 issue of `American Prospect'; Information on the average tax rate for families by Mun S. Ho, published in the January 1998 issue of `Contemporary Economic Policy'; Loopholes in taxes by William G. Gale, published in the Summer 1998 issue of `The Brookings Review.'

Interviews John Berthoud, president of the National Taxpayers' Union. Why he believes strongly in tax reform; Why he supports flat tax and national sales tax; His assertion on the importance of tax reform in the United States (US); Why he fought the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice. INSET: Personal Bio.

Focuses on the Republican Party's efforts to explore the appeal of flat tax as an economic theme for the 1996 presidential campaign. Political and economic complexities of flat tax; Main proposals of the report of the National Commission on Economic Growth and Tax Reform chaired by Jack Kemp; Varied versions of flat tax being endorsed by several Republicans; Limitations of the current income tax.

Describes the flat-tax proposal by the Reform Party of Canada to alleviate high taxes and complicated tax forms. Draft version; Commons finance committee chairman Jim Peterson's concerns about some of the plan's technical aspects; Comments of Reform MP Jim Silye, one of the proponents of the proposal. INSET: A nine-line tax return, by Susan Reschke.

Reports on the Reform Party of Canada's move to duplicate the flat tax rate system introduced in the United States to simplify income taxation. Support for the flat tax rate proposal; Expansion of the Income Tax Act of 1917; Predictions on the rise in income tax generation.

Opinion. Presents the author's view that squabbling between flat taxers and sales taxers could allow the Internal Revenue Code to escape unscathed. Similarities of flat tax and sales tax; Collection point as the only difference between flat tax and sales tax; Some questions which supporters of the sales tax need to answer to prove that it is better than flat tax.

Considers debate in Canada concerning the Reform Party's plans to produce flat-tax proposals. Reasons for controversy concerning the tax including uncertainty about its effects; Problems with the nation's tax system in 1996 including the amount of paperwork.

Focuses on New Orleans, Louisiana-based real estate investors' opinion regarding proposals to replace the income tax code with a flat tax system. Study by the Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute (CIREI); Loss of income tax deductions; Elimination of the low-income housing tax credit.

Discusses the effects of the use of a flat-rate income tax system in the United States. Objectives for a flat-rate income tax system; Comments from Legier & Materne CPAs director Stephen Materne; Flat-rate tax proposals' elimination of deductions; Tax simplification efforts; Failure to appreciate the real outcome of flat-rate tax proposals.

The article reports that the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) has published a comprehensive analysis of the major alternatives to the current federal income tax system called "Flat Taxes and Consumption Taxes: A Guide to the Debate." The report was released in January and is the result of a two-year effort by the AICPA tax division. It also provides policy makers and the public with an in-depth look at the policy issues and economic consequences of tax reform for both individuals and businesses. In addition, the report examines four types of consumption taxes critical to understanding election-year debates which are the retail sales tax, value added tax, flat tax and consumed income tax.

The article presents letters to the editor in response to articles in previous issues including "Who Said the World Isn't Flat?," by Robert Willens and Andrea J. Phillips in the November 1995 issue, "Don't Make Over 40 Over the Hill," by Anthony P. DeStefano in the December 1995 issue and "Readers Comment on Money Managers," by Robert Preston also in the November issue.

Discusses the proposed types of flat-tax bills. Decline in interest rates; Rise in bond and stock prices; Increase in the ratio of investment to gross domestic product; Fast productivity; Increase in the standard of living; Reduction in the inflation rate; Further lowering in interest rates; Purchase of bonds and stocks; Zero coupon bonds; Treasury strips; Long-Equity Anticipation Securities (LEAPS).

The article reports that according to daily La Stampa, call by League party leader Matteo Salvini to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte for starting work early on the 2020 budget thus towards commitment to the controversial flat tax plan. Topics discussed include meeting between Conte and Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio, avoiding of disciplinary action over the country's debt, and funds for flat-tax plan already arranged.

Presents letters to the editor referencing articles and topics discussed in previous issues. "The Flat Tax Scam," which criticized the U.S. flat tax; "The Führer Furor," which focused on the book of John Lukacs on Adolf Hitler.

Opinion. Asserts that the problem with a flat rate income tax lies in business taxes under the plan. Flat tax's appeal relating to the tax on individuals; Loopholes on the business tax relating to large corporations; Tendency towards boom and bust cycle for businesses with a flat tax; The ending of businesses' write-off for social-security contributions under some proposed flat tax plans; Other issues.

Opinion. Offers the author's insights into the flat tax which is a topic of debate for the 1996 presidential election. The flat tax resurrecting the 1980s' supply side economics; Exaggeration of sensible ideas like lower tax rates and simplification; Current tax system in need of improvement; The 1986 tax reform.

Reviews the idea of flattening the income tax. Popularity among Republicans, including presidential candidate Steve Forbes, in 1996; `Flat tax' as a misnomer; Reality as a hefty tax on consumption; Reasons why Congress hasn't passed it including raised taxes for families earning less than $25,000.

States that, in 1995, while Senator Bob Dole struggles with Bosnia and the budget, Malcolm S. Forbes Jr. is buying hearts on the right. Forbes hawking a sweeping, simple 17 percent flat tax; How Forbes already set the terms of the debate in the early Republican presidential race; Estimated cost of Forbes' advertising campaign; Opponents trying to ignore Forbes; A commission Dole appointed also recommending a flat tax.

Focuses on the various `flat-tax' plans that are cluttering the landscape. Initial flat-tax plan devised in 1981 by Stanford academics Robert Hall and Alvin Rabushka; How plans proposed in political campaigns differ from the original; Proposals of Phil Gramm, Jack Kemp and Steve Forbes.

Editorial. Worries that the flat tax may take over the spotlight as the newest issue of national agenda in January of 1996 because of the nation's tendency not to keep its mind on anything very long. Nation's mind wandering before we solve anything; Little prospect that the flat tax will survive public debate; What a flat tax will entail; America's need to keep a steadier focus when it comes to the subject of taxes.

Offers the main arguments for and against the flat tax. Advocates who believe it would simplify the tax system and boost savings; Opponents who say it would increase the budget deficit and favor the wealthy.

Editorial. Argues in favor of a flat tax which would set one low rate for all taxpayers and eliminate so-called tax preferences. Robert E. Hall and Alvin Rabushka of Stanford's Hoover Institution, two godfathers of the flat tax; Critics who argue that it would put the millionaire and middle-income worker in the same tax bracket; How the tax would neutralize the tax system.

Opinion. Discusses taxation in the United States, focusing on Bob Dole's plan for a so-called fairer, flatter tax. The criteria used by economists to judge a tax system; Explanation of a flat tax; Why one's taxes should be in proportion to the benefits one receives from the government; Why a flat tax would probably benefit high-income people disproportionately; Results of a `Reader's Digest' poll on tax rates.

Advocates the institution of the flat income tax, and criticizes the manner in which the idea of the flat tax is being promoted and contested. Benefits of the flat tax; Consequences of the flat tax which supporters seek to downplay; Disinformative criticisms of the flat tax; The type of leadership necessary to sell the flat tax to voters.

Informs that a simple flat tax is highly popular with United States chief executives. Results of a `Fortune' magazine poll of about 200 CEOs; Industries which would have saved or lost money if a flat tax had been in effect in 1992; Advantages and disadvantages of such a tax; Problems in transitioning to a flat tax.

Asserts that one investor's worry is another's opportunity in the municipal bond market as of September 4, 1995. Reason for municipal bonds' extreme attractiveness to taxpayers; Why some investors are worried about a flat tax; Reasons why such bonds could become even cheaper; Tips to investors.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "The flat tax that isn't" in the August 2, 1982 issue.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to an article in the August 2, 1982 issue discussing tax reform in the U.S.

A letter to the editor in response to the article "Will Democrats Outflank The GOP On Taxes?" in the "Fact & Comment" column in the July 5, 1982 issue is presented.

The article discusses income tax legislation in the U.S. as of July 5, 1982. The author focuses on a proposed tax bill by Democrats Senator Bill Bradley and Representative Richard Gephardt, the bill's changes making personal income tax similar to flat-rate income tax, and the possible effect of the bill on President Reagan's image. Also commented on are the Kemp-Roth bill from 1980, the monetary policy, and the bill's effect on the economy.

The article offers news briefs related to miscellaneous topic which include the consideration of new weapons cuts by U.S. Defense Secretary Casper W. Weinberger, proposed changes in shipping rule by White House Counselor Edwin Meese III, and introduction of modifies flat-rate tax by Senator Bill Bradley and Representative Richard A. Gephardt.

The author reflects on the advice of President Ronald Reagan to the Congress on ways to adapt the flat-rate tax approach to a drastic overhaul of the U.S. tax system in 1982.

The article discusses the issues against the social agenda of Great Britain Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The members of her Conservative Party have revolted against her decision to curtail the spending power of local councils and replace the property tax with flat-rate tax as the main source of council revenues. She also cut the personal tax rate from 60 % to 40 % which stirred charges of discriminating the poor.

This section offers news briefs related to finance in the U.S. business sector as of January 1985 including the flat tax plan unveiled by the Treasury that caused investors to withdraw their deal involving limited partnership units in the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, the foreign sales corporations created by Congress, and the 1984 revenues from new issue underwriting that reached about 1.4 billion dollars.

The article presents an opinion on how a broad-based flat-rate tax policy can raise public revenues and eliminate budget deficit hysteria in the U.S. capital and money markets. The existing tax system encourages individuals to minimize their taxes rather than increasing their incomes. A flat-rate tax boosts economic efficiency and increases investment incentives.

Opinion. Compares Republican presidential candidate Steve Forbes' flat tax plan to the tax-reform bill of Ronald Reagan that David Stockman admitted was intended to provide tax breaks for the rich. The premise that the less rich people pay in taxes, the better off the rest of us are.