An article in the New York Times of January 22,2012 offers some ideas on how to make the tax system simpler and maybe fairer:

 1. Broaden the base and lower rates. What this means is eliminating some deductions, like mortgage interest, and reducing tax rates on the larger base. No one in Congress has seriously tried to eliminate that particular deduction, nor most others.

2. Tax consumption rather than income. The author of the article thinks we’re close to that now, with extensive deductions available for retirement saving. He suggests that an income tax, as opposed to a consumption tax, discourages saving, investment and economic growth.

3. Tax bads rather than goods. This means we should have higher taxes on things we want to discourage. A higher gasoline tax, for example, discourages excessive driving and pushes people toward more efficient methods of transportation.

4. Keep it simple. A simpler tax system makes understanding and compliance easier and less expensive.