"The kick in the butt they need"? Under that system there would presumably be a considerable number of people who could no longer afford to live - a family of f

"The kick in the butt they need"? Under that system there would presumably be a considerable number of people who could no longer afford to live - a family of four would be taxed over $50,000 which they might well not be able to earn, let alone earning enough more than that to pay rent and buy food. Not everyone can be an above-average earner. I'm all for the idea of simplifying tax systems, but your idea doesn't remotely work.