[speaker001:] uh what do you
[speaker002:] how do you feel about it
[speaker001:] well I don't know I would hate I would rather not have to have it all taken out but I kind of feel like it's part of living in a free country but it seems like they take quite a bit out
[speaker002:] uh I'm a tax lawyer and uh I uh
[speaker001:] oh yeah
[speaker002:] but I agree with you I uh
[speaker001:] yeah you probably know like I say you're a lot more knowledgeable about it than I am but do you do for corporations or mainly
[speaker002:] I um-hum yeah corporations I work for a bank
[speaker001:] yeah oh do you oh
[speaker002:] yeah and uh and
[speaker001:] so what what do they think the corporation you work with
[speaker002:] um well banks banks are regulated of course by the uh by the federal government anyway so
[speaker001:] yeah uh-huh
[speaker002:] we don't have the franchise taxes which are are not federal taxes uh
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] I don't know I I think they I don't hear anything at work about them really
[speaker001:] yeah well I tell you I I work for a credit union so that might be a whole another topic as far as well you know how do
[speaker002:] oh okay
[speaker001:] what's the opinion around there about uh you know credit unions not being taxed and stuff do they do have you guys had any I don't want to say battles but do they uh a lot of people around here in Utah and stuff they they claim the unfair unfair uh unfair playing field and whatnot and whether or not credit unions are getting you know being treated special and do they get
[speaker002:] we've had that too because of the failures though
[speaker001:] oh yeah
[speaker002:] and uh whether or not they should be assessed more
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and uh the the state has uh has uh is in the midst of a reform probably in that area
[speaker001:] it's where they're going to tax credit unions on a state level or or just assess their more for the insurance fund
[speaker002:] or or higher assessment to yeah right
[speaker001:] huh yeah it's uh I don't know I want I think I've always felt that if we credit unions stick to their little niche they have that then it probably shouldn't be but it seems like more and more uh we're getting out into a lot of the bank territories I do not know if it is too fair or not
[speaker002:] uh I don't know that it is fair I think that it's you know the way banking is being uh compacted I work for at Nations Bank which has just merged with C and S Sovran
[speaker001:] yeah yeah oh yeah
[speaker002:] and uh you know I think I think a little competition is good
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] uh
[speaker001:] but
[speaker002:] but down here a lot we saw we say them doing things they shouldn't be doing
[speaker001:] yeah they getting into business lending and things like that or yeah I the credit union I work for is one of the top the twenty uh about the fifteenth largest and we are starting to get into that and that is where I really have my questions as to whether or not we're
[speaker002:] yeah real estate
[speaker001:] you know if they were able were playing on a level field whereas the banks are getting taxed and stuff
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] and I don't know what the corporate taxes are as far as how much they get taxed but I mean I know it would have to it would definitely have to effect our bottom line if we got taxed there's no doubt about it
[speaker002:] everybody's gone down I think the individual levels are fine
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] uh I don't think they're perceived as uh was I learned in school if you taxed a hundred percent of the income of people that made over a hundred thousand dollars you know
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] uh we wouldn't reduce the deficit by
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] but but a drop in the bucket because there are such few people that do that
[speaker001:] yeah well what do you have have you ever studied I guess anything about a flat tax or anything like that I mean we've talked about it and how it kind be kind of a recessive tax for the poor or
[speaker002:] well that's what sales tax are
[speaker001:] yeah that's true but I mean on more of a national level I guess it seems like it might uh get rid of a lot of the problems as far as the loop holes and stuff but maybe just have it based on two or three different level and eliminate a lot of the exemptions and stuff is that
[speaker002:] that uh flat taxes I think are a pretty good idea uh they're debating of course right now whether to bring in capital gains again uh to stimulate the economy
[speaker001:] uh-huh yeah
[speaker002:] and uh find from what I from what I recall it doesn't stimulate the economy that much it just uh boots everybody's feeling about stimulating the economy
[speaker001:] yeah that's more or less touchy-feely thing as opposed to
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] yeah I just always heard that the poor would end end up taking the worst brunt of it because they're you know their their income is less and yet they're being taxed at the same rate and therefore it hurts their spending power but you know I've heard different ideas to where they will make it so that uh you know depending on your income that it'll be maybe a different level of tax but seems like then people would just do whatever they could to hide income so like you say it probably wouldn't do much anyway
[speaker002:] the I I what happens is I think it is a good idea but they chip away at it I mean the home mortgage deduction is like sacrosanct
[speaker001:] um-hum yeah that's true
[speaker002:] you can't take away people that said there you go you've got one exception already and uh and uh it you know well if we didn't have this exception then we'll just add this one and it just gets it snowballs
[speaker001:] yeah that's true yeah uh-huh
[speaker002:] I I think it is in theory probably a good idea
[speaker001:] well uh are the taxes in in Texas are they are few state taxes very high or
[speaker002:] we don't have state income tax
[speaker001:] oh don't you oh that's sweet
[speaker002:] none but we've got an eight percent state sales tax
[speaker001:] oh that hurts
[speaker002:] yeah and uh you know course that's that's a regressive tax
[speaker001:] yeah it is
[speaker002:] and it's you know uh uh it's not on grocery