I. Introduction
A. Set the scene: The US has a deficit of currently $16 trillion dollars approximately and it’s still growing.
B. Narrow the scene: The federal government has tried to reduce the debt with cuts and raising taxes.
1. Define key terms: Rates - the cost of with reference to some basis of calculation, revenue – income of the government, reform- make changes to improve something.
C. Thesis Statement: The US would benefit from a significant tax reform by broadening the tax base, reducing rates, and simplifying the tax code to solve the deficit.
II. Topic 1.1: Budget
A. One of the first steps to tax reformation is to solve the budget problem.
B. CM 1: The growth in US spending on Medicare and Social Security has further worsened the budget.
1. Evidence 1: These programs account for about 44% of the federal budget (Washington Post).
2. Evidence 2: About 56 million people currently receive Social Security Checks (Washington Post).
3. In order to initiate a tax reform we must first reform the healthcare industry
C. CM 2: Anti- poverty programs have also shifted the government’s attention from the real problem.
1. Evidence 1: Spending on food stamps has tripled since 2001(Washington Post).
2. Evidence 2: Health programs like Medicaid have increased by 38% (Washington Post).
3. When people rely more and more on the government they give less and less back to the government.
D. Addressing Opposition: Democrats argue that increasing taxes on the rich will solve the budget and Republicans argue that cuts will solve it, however neither will solve the problem at its root which is the tax code.
III. Topic 1.2: Everyone pays their share
A. Along with solving the deficit comes into play the amount of people who actually pay taxes.
B. CM 1: Not everyone in the US pays taxes.
1. Evidence 1: In 2011 only 46.4% paid an income tax (Washington Post).
2. Evidence 2: In 2011 53.6% did not pay an income tax (Washington