From a flat tax to a "millionaires' tax," presidential candidates have put forth a variety of ideas for better steering the economy through changes to tax policies.
The Occupy Wall Street encampments have all but disappeared, but the issues raised by the movement's rallying cry against inequality continue to have an impact on political discourse. Each of the 2012 presidential hopefuls has put forth his own plan to address the financial woes that continue to plague millions of Americans — but in very different ways.
President Obama has called on the wealthiest Americans to "pay their fair share of taxes" through the Buffett Rule, named after billionaire investor Warren Buffett, which would raise taxes for those making more than $1 million a year. Conversely, GOP contenders think that top earners should pay lower taxes so that they are free to invest in businesses that might then create jobs.
All of the Republican candidates have promised to extend the George W. Bush-era tax cuts on top earners, but some are proposing far more extreme changes to tax policy. Newt Gingrich has proposed an alternative flat tax rate of 15 percent that any taxpayer can opt for in order to cut back on the costs associated with filing taxes. Ron Paul has taken this notion even further by calling for the Internal Revenue Service to be shut down.
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