Taxes: a 'certain' problem still.

• Position: FROM THE EDITOR

The payment of taxes has been a contentious subject for American citizens dating back to before the nation's birth. Recall "No taxation without representation," the slogan of the 1750s and '60s that characterized the grievances of the British colonists in the 13 Colonies, and which was one of the major causes of the American Revolution.

Then, in the 1700s, Benjamin Franklin coined the phrase, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."

Though many American individuals and corporations pay their portions of taxes--as decreed by the very complicated and complex tax code--there is much disparity. There are alarmingly high numbers of individuals and corporations paying little or no taxes due to entitlements, exclusions, loopholes and more.

There is often talk in Washington of "tax reform," but the last major change--heralded as "simplification"--was in 1986. Between then and now, there have been additions and tweaks.

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Talk of taxes and reform is always a big political issue, but now--facing a looming deficit--it is also likely to spark an upcoming debate about how one reads the Constitution in terms of what rights the government has to tax citizens and collect funds to pay for "programs" it creates, and just what should government provide.

The constitutional argument also extends to what Americans expect from government (in terms of services) and how much they're willing--or in more cases, obliged--to pay (read: in taxes) And, to get the true picture of taxes paid by corporations or individuals, one needs to add to the mix indirect taxes, too.

Personally, I'm not confident that the tax problem can truly be solved long term without deleting any and all current laws and starting with a clean slate. So for the short term, at least for the corporate side, let's defer to our cover story...