Reddit reviews A Fine Mess: A Global Quest for a Simpler, Fairer, and More Efficient Tax System

One thing we could do is use data, like all the other countries have. Rather than relying on these religious like ideologies.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1594205515/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493159134&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=a+fine+mess&dpPl=1&dpID=413VeXM0sBL&ref=plSrch

In Sweden and New Zealand, their equivalent of the IRS essentially mails you a completed tax return that you look over and just have to verify.

http://www.vox.com/2016/4/8/11380356/swedish-taxes-love

https://www.amazon.com/Fine-Mess-Global-Simpler-Efficient/dp/1594205515

I just read this book by TR Reid about tax policy, it is pretty informative if you are interested. The tldr is that tax rates need to be low enough so that people are not making financial decisions based on tax avoidance as that screws everything up. The VAT is somewhat regressive but that can be more than offset by lowering or eliminating any income taxes paid by those below or close to the poverty line. Or those same people can receive public assistance benefits that address their needs directly.

The US is basically the only rich country without a VAT, the author of that books argues that the VAT is an innovation. VATs generate a massive amount of money because they follow the BBLR principle of tax policy, broaden the base and lower the rate. Countries that instituted VATs were able to lower their corporate and personal income tax rates substantially.

TR Reid does a fine job of explaining why this is the case. The tl;dr of his thesis is that the US tax system is geared towards enriching tax accountants.