The simplest thing to do would be to get rid of income tax.
You could replace it with a consumption tax and carbon tax. The consumption tax wouldn't apply to food and the first $500 a month spent for shelter to limit the impact on the poor. The consumption tax would encourage investment and discourage excessive imports.
Since most energy is imported, a carbon tax would also limit the money leaving the country. It would also have the added benefit of helping the environment to recover from the impending disaster of global warming. Most people are too short sighted to see the advantage, they'll just cry about the $5 a gallon gasoline. However, with global warming when you have a couple more Katrinas or when you finally run out of oil, $5 a gallon gasoline will happen anyway.
You could replace it with a consumption tax and carbon tax. The consumption tax wouldn't apply to food and the first $500 a month spent for shelter to limit the impact on the poor. The consumption tax would encourage investment and discourage excessive imports.
Since most energy is imported, a carbon tax would also limit the money leaving the country. It would also have the added benefit of helping the environment to recover from the impending disaster of global warming. Most people are too short sighted to see the advantage, they'll just cry about the $5 a gallon gasoline. However, with global warming when you have a couple more Katrinas or when you finally run out of oil, $5 a gallon gasoline will happen anyway.

