Americans spend 6 billion hours and over $234 billion per year complying with the federal tax code – 6 billion hours that our families and businesses could spend on something other than tax compliance.

That $234 billion is a lot of money – about $1,500 per American in the workforce, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For the life of me, I can’t understand how anyone could think Americans are well-served with a tax code that is so time-consuming and expensive.

President Trump’s call for tax reform that would allow Americans to file their taxes on a single sheet of paper, while also lowering rates and making the tax code fair, is a great prescription for boosting our economy.

It’s time for America’s small businesses to invest in growing, innovating and taking care of their workers instead of spending to comply with a complex, unfair tax code. It is time to restore freedom to Americans and relieve the 6 billion-hours-a-year burden of this nation’s tax laws.

With trillions of dollars sitting offshore and a federal business tax rate of 35 percent (China’s is 25 percent), there are too many pro-American benefits to tax reform for it to be ignored. Please contact Rep. Chellie Pingree and Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King, and ask them to support tax reform that will lead to bigger paychecks for hardworking Maine people.

George Colby

New Gloucester