Assignment 2: Enacting New Taxes

Decisions related to taxes have a far-reaching impact on all U.S. citizens. Therefore, it is important to weigh the pros and cons of such decisions and ensure that they will be beneficial to the majority of citizens.

Based on your readings for the module, respond to the following:

• When the government considers enacting a new tax, what issues need to be considered to ensure that the tax will be fair to all taxpayers? Give reasons and examples to support your answer.
• Consider the idea of replacing the federal income tax with a national sales tax or value-added tax. Do you think this would make the system more fair or less fair? Give reasons and examples to support your answer.

Write your initial response in one to two paragraphs.