FOR AGI deductions reduce AGI, the importance of classification is because the AGI is used for establishing limits on certain deductions FROM AGI such as medical expenses, education expenses, property taxes, charitable contributions, and interest found in the itemized deductions. Generally, deductions FOR AGI are related to business expenses while, deductions FROM AGI are personal in nature.

And I mean flat across the board. Everybody pays 5%, for example. But to make sure everybody pays that 5%, no exemptions for yourself or dependents. Not deductions for work, charitable donations, etc. No deductions for business losses. Capital gains are considered income and taxed at the same rate. So you bought your house for K, sold it for 0K, you made k that year, it gets taxed like any other income. You inherited cash property or anything else, it’s income and gets taxed 5%. And all income gets taxed the exact same 5%. No hiding money for the future in 401(k) plans or IRA plans–no need to anyway, since the flat tax defeats the purpose. All income of any kind, a flat tax. No exceptions, including churches, which are currently tax exempt.

Anybody for that?
Let me clarify some things about my question. One, I am not sure whether I am for a flat tax or not. But I have thought that richer people have more opportunities to get out of paying taxes than poorer people do. So I wondered if richer people would still be for a flat tax if the the playing field were completely level–ie, no tax-sheltered retirement accounts, no itemized deductions for charitable contributions, no loopholes of any kind, as well as calling and income at all as taxable income, including the sale of private property, and also doing away the the tax-excempt status churches and not-for-profit organizations enjoy. Totally fair. Would they still go for it?

1. 5% National Sales Tax on ALL goods and services…
2. Eliminating our 10% tax bracket…
3. Exemption for adults up to the POVERTY LINE…
4. 1/2 POVERTY LINE exemption for children…
5. consolidating our tax brackets into three… first, from poverty line to MEDIAN household income would be our new 15% bracket… from MEDIAN income to our current 30% threshold would be our new 25% bracket, and from (THAT NUMBER) and over would be our 35% bracket…
6. Corporate taxes would follow the same as income tax…
7. Businesses would get an immediate write-off on all capital investment. NO DEPRECIATION!
8. The only deductions allowed in our tax code, because of the generous exemption, would be mortgagte interest, retirement savings, and charitable contributions…