There are people who parade that the minimum wage should be raised, one figure I hear is $15 dollars an hour. These same people blame others as standing in the way and doing nothing to help the less fortunate. However, those who tend to oppose minimum wage increases are in favor of tax cuts as deep as they can get them so on that note I think I have a solution.
Those who want to raise the minimum wage claim it's a human issue of empathy, compassion, even charity. The other side say that taxation is harsh, cruel and restrictive and both have arguments. However the solution then seems to me would be to make anyone making minimum wage or for that matter anyone under say $12 an hour a tax free worker. No federal or state taxes period. These workers draw their full gross pay and they file no income tax whatsoever. Taking a claim from the Fair Tax folks, the other part of the FICA tax paid by employers might even go to the employee as a raise thus making for a much happier employee and likely further stimulating the economy as said employee has more discretionary income. Business owner benefit is the reduced record keeping costs of these employees puts some money in the employers pockets. And those who cry about helping the working poor? Just sayin'!
To further stimulate the economy, why not end taxes on wages over 40 hours. Overtime pay becomes tax free. The blue collar working folk who do get OT would likely use such money by spending and thus further stimulate the economy or pay down personal debt potentially opening the door for new borrowing for big ticket items like cars and homes, again stimulating the economy.
Now I'm not pretending this doesn't violate economic laws or principles of political economy nor am I ignoring the fact that this idea could have unintended consequences elsewhere. But being the fact that the people in Washington ignore these very same things themselves all the time, I figure if I can offer a compromise that satisfies both sides with their "claimed passions" while to serve my own self interests by completely removing more people from the tax roles ending theft of their productivity, I see this as a win/win. Other than the OT part, I won't directly benefit but if I can just get the party started!
Now, offer up that idea to both sides in Washington and watch both of them scream and pull out their hair in rejecting it. There again will be a teaching moment.