Summary: The nation’s financial situation requires control of spending and improved tax systems. Many income tax systems, e.g., flat taxes and others, have been proposed. The present progressive income tax would be hard to replace, but it needs to be re-engineered starting from a set of principles. A re-engineered income tax system can expedite solutions to today’s fiscal problems, reduce future problems, and help unite a divided citizenry by being a simple, fair, and long-tern focused.