Taxation Without Representation... or Even Personhood

Robert Whitcomb's writing, as much as conservatives might find to disagree with, is refreshing for the simple fact that he obviously thinks things through and is willing to take an unpopular position when his thinking demands it:

Corporate-income taxes -- local, state or federal -- are absurd, and should be abolished. I say that as we come out of a political season in which some politicians said that they wanted "corporations to finally pay their fair share" of government expenses, and that it's outrageous that corporations are "getting away with murder," by paying a smaller percentage than "hard-working Americans."

But the "corporate-income" tax is actually paid by plenty of "hard-working people": the employees of the taxed company; the company's customers, to whom the costs of the tax are passed on, in the price of goods and services; and, of course, the investors who help start and expand companies.

His view of what we need tax dollars for, and from whom we ought to take them leaves room for argument. But in our nation's current state of affairs, anybody who agrees that taxes should be instituted "as simply and honestly as possible" is a welcome ally.