But Mr Cameron accused the PM of "catastrophic misjudgements" on the economy and attacked the proposed NI increase as a "tax on jobs that hits every single business in the country".

BBC: Gordon Brown: Tories in 'panic' over National Insurance

Our own Steve Forbes has argued that one way to clean up the tax code and expose hidden taxes is through the adoption of a federal "flat" tax, a single rate for individuals and business that would eliminate most of the deductions and exemptions now in place.

FORBES: Magazine Article

We could fix this very fundamental problem of our income tax system without raising rates or affecting a single small business owner, and we might raise a few hundred billion dollars along the way.

FORBES: Guest Post: Mark to Market Taxation

One reason seems to be that these efforts have generally relied on a single silver bullet, such as tax breaks from the government or small-business incubators set up by venture capitalists.

ECONOMIST: Policymakers can help create jobs, up to a point

Why single out investment managers and deny them this fair tax treatment, which represents the reality of their business arrangements?

FORBES: Forex Traders Have A Little More Time