I've been crunching numbers on tax policy lately after seeing how my own paycheck shifts with each bracket change, and one thing keeps bothering me: should we simplify the tax code even if it means eliminating popular deductions? The mortgage interest deduction, for instance, helps homeowners but distorts housing decisions, and I've seen studies showing it mostly benefits high earners. A flat tax with a generous exemption could raise the same revenue while cutting compliance costs, which the IRS estimates take 6.1 billion hours annually. But then we lose the ability to incentivize things like charitable giving or green investments, and I'm not sure that trade-off is worth it. What do you think—does the complexity serve a purpose that a simpler system can't replace?