Football is in the air, as we are less than 24 hours from the start of the NFL Draft. Which means it’s time to start talking about tax reform.
You read that right.
Former Packers left tackle posted his solution for the nation’s tax woes on X Wednesday. His solution? A flat tax.
“I want a flat tax rate for everyone citizen,” the former Pro Bowler wrote. “And no loopholes. Simple and effective. Don’t try to fuq this up. It makes sense. You make more money, pay more taxes. Less money, less taxes.”
I want a flat tax rate for everyone citizen. And no loopholes. Simple and effective.
— David Bakhtiari (@DavidBakhtiari) April 24, 2024
Don’t try to fuq this up. It makes sense. You make more money, pay more taxes. Less money, less taxes. https://t.co/BGnyka8IyG
The post sparked much debate, as you would expect.
Problem being. Rich people will never allow this…
— Old Gravy (@moejeyer5) April 24, 2024
Proportional to income that 20% flat tax hurts lower income earners more than high.
— FirmButSoft (@FirmButSoft) April 24, 2024
This is actually terrible policy. It disproportionally impacts the poor. 🤷🏻♂️
— Upton (@Upton_4) April 24, 2024
No income tax at all. Just a consumption tax. You buy nice things you get taxed. Simple
— Caleb Maier (@CalebMaier1) April 24, 2024
Except that 20% (let’s say we use a baseline tax of 20) affects a single mother of 2 a LOT more than it affects Jeff Bezos.
— Ivan Breytenbach (@IvanBreytenbach) April 24, 2024
Tax is unfortunately complicated, and it needs to be in order to be fair.
With that said the US tax system is…quite something.
Before posting about his support for a flat tax, Bakhtiari reacted to a post about Joe Biden’s plan to raise the capital gains tax to a record high.
https://t.co/04BolUwSZi pic.twitter.com/91cqDJYDsI
— David Bakhtiari (@DavidBakhtiari) April 24, 2024
The flat tax has been debated with varying degrees of seriousness for years. In the 90s, GOP Presidential Candidate Steve Forbes and then-House Majority Leader Dick Armey made powerful pitches for it.
David Bakhtiari of Green Bay Packers looks on during the NFL match between New York Giants and Green Bay Packers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 9, 2022, in London, England. (Vincent Mignott/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
However, while proponents of the idea tend to be passionate in their support, the proposal has rarely, if ever, owned the support of a majority of Americans.
Even among Republicans, where support for a flat tax has been most substantial, recent polling shows only a plurality, not a majority, support the idea.
Bakhtiari is currently a free agent. The longtime Packer has been recently mentioned as a possible free-agent target for the Jets and Chiefs.
