Germany and the Flat Tax

Angela Merkel – that distaff Steve Forbes clone running for Chancellor of Germany – seems not to be as much of a shoe-in as earlier polls indicated. The Germans may be headed for a Grand Coalition, which pretty much means super-stasis, as I understand it. But I confess a slight rooting-interest in seeing Angie win. Besides being sick of Gerhard Schroeder, a depressing hack who leaves even our politicians in the dust when it comes to pandering, I am curious to see what actually would result from a flat tax if put into action by a modern industrial state. That might clear a lot of things up – one way or the other.