The FairTax is an idea whose time has come. Congress — both House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats — has demonstrated time after time the inability to restrain itself with the public purse. Congress simply can’t govern effectively as long as the income tax is in place. Even the “fiscal crises” legislation passed by the current congress added $74 billion MORE to the deficit; all to favor special interest groups. In order to save America, congress must be denied the instrument of its folly: the income tax. A solution has been filed away in a drawer somewhere by the congress for over 10 years. It’s called The FairTax. It’s neither a Republican nor democrat idea but truly an American idea!
If adopted, the FairTax would replace the income tax, repeal the 16th amendment and annihilate the IRS. Within one year America would experience unprecedented econometric growth and thousands upon thousands of new jobs would be created.
Contact your congress-person through his/her web site. Insist that he/she do everything possible to bring the FairTax proposal to the floor of the house and once there, to support it. Large numbers of citizens must demand the FairTax if we are to have it.
Glen E. Terrell
Arlington, Texas
VofReason posted at 1:44 pm on Wed, Feb 6, 2013.
Indeed we should all take the Faux News blinders off. I mean everyone knows you can pay for everything for 50% of your citizenry with no downside- right? I mean how can trillion dollar deficits yearly really effect the longterm success of your country? Yup, it is better to listen to the people who are spending your money faster than you can make it and believe that everything is A OK and we really just need the rich to pay their "fair share". Thank you for clarifying.
VofReason posted at 1:41 pm on Wed, Feb 6, 2013.
Yes this is good Willie, for countries the size of Vermont that have higher expectations for their citizenry. Is it that the Education isn't free enough for people in the US? Wonder how many of their student drop out of school and become a burden on society? Maybe that has something to do with their ability to stay toward the top.
Arizona Willie posted at 7:50 am on Wed, Feb 6, 2013.
chuckles3, actually the " Socialist " solution has worked quite well for the Scandinavian countries who routinely place far ahead of the United States in almost every category.
Lifespan, per capita income, education level. They beat us just about everywhere except for the size of their military.
Germany hasn't done badly either, until lately.
Another country that beats us in almost every category.
Take off the Faux News blinders and see the REAL world.
chuckles3 posted at 4:18 pm on Tue, Feb 5, 2013.
Oh boy. Half the country with no skin in the game? We get Santa Claus elected every time. The tax code will never change under our current system.
A VAT tax is a horrible idea as it applies to EVERYTHING purchased including raw materials, etc. The cost of manufactured goods would skyrocket and consumers(who support out economy) would spend even less. More comapnies would locate overseas to purchase materials where there is no VAT. The poor would pay more for food, medicine, heat, twinkies, fast food, Air Jordans, IPads, etc.
Another European Socialist solution that works great. Oh, wait. No it doesn't.
VofReason posted at 2:18 pm on Tue, Feb 5, 2013.
This is interesting, "Each year less Americans earn enought to even pay taxes and support themself. That means if they want to survive they will need government assistance". Boy, I remember the good old days when people felt, you know, responsible for their own success. You may remember the American dream that (legal) immigrants came to our country seeking. Another point, if you make 25K a year, you may not be able to support children and probably shouldn't then have any. That is so you won't have another mouth to feed and will then have to ask for more Government assistance. I know these are new ideas to some here, but really, people use to work of the idea that they had to take care of themselves.
Arizona Willie posted at 1:48 pm on Tue, Feb 5, 2013.
I have read "science fiction" stories were almost no one has a job because robots have taken over all of work that people used to do. It creates a lot of problems. People may think it will never happen, and things can never get to be that way, but we aren't very far from it.
Almost half the country has so little income that they rely on a government benefit at tax time wherein they get a payment from the government. One fourth of children go to bed hungry.
It's a situation gets much worse we could be facing anarchy. Like in the science fiction stories, we may see rising and people trying to overthrow the government.
truth posted at 4:23 pm on Sun, Feb 3, 2013.
Each year less Americans earn enought to even pay taxes and support themself. That means if they want to survive they will need government assistance. This is because our politicians have been bought by corporations who send U.S. jobs to communist countries where there are no worker's regulations or standard of living conditions, in China 1/2 billion people live on less than $ 2.00 a day. What we should do, because we can't continue in the direction we are heading with low wages in the U.S., is to have a SLAVE TAX on products sold in the U.S. made in slave communist countries. This tax would make these products cost in the U.S. equal to the U.S. minimun wage.
sockratties posted at 10:49 am on Sun, Feb 3, 2013.
The author relates to "fair" as if it means the same thing to everyone. Without resorting to name calling and labeling it's easy to see that methods of paying for government operation are infinite. The author also assumes that one size fits all which may not be true.
To some fair means equality, to others it means proportionality. If everyone pays a similar rate, that's one definition of equality. If the rate increases as income increases, that's proportionality.
There are also those that think that , to use an analogy, everyone who drinks the water should help carry it. Others think that those who drink more should have to carry more. And there are those who think everyone should be able to drink, regardless of who does the carrying.
A VAT may be the best answer but getting congress to pass a simple tax law without special interests, loopholes or pork would be a hard sell. Even the companies that sell printing services to congress would have a problem with that.
downtownresident posted at 10:24 am on Sun, Feb 3, 2013.
Until public service is more important than winning the next election, nothing will change.
Arizona Willie posted at 9:38 am on Sun, Feb 3, 2013.
That's strange.. I made two more posts and they didn't make it.
Anyway, I goofed and entered 15% in my calculator instead of 10%.
The poor family would have $22,500 left after the Flat Tax and the better off family would have $225,000 left after the Flat Tax.
The principle is the same.
Arizona Willie posted at 9:35 am on Sun, Feb 3, 2013.
Ooops, I thought those numbers didn't look right. Sorry, I put 15% in my calculator instead of 10%.
The poor family would have $22,500 left after a 10% flat tax, and the better off family would have $225,000 left after their 10% flat tax.
The principle is the same, just my goof on the calculator.
Sorry about that.
Arizona Willie posted at 9:28 am on Sun, Feb 3, 2013.
A far far better idea, is to completely eliminate the Federal Personal Income Tax completely and have a VAT tax collected whenever ANYTHING is purchased.
That way the wealthy would have to pay when they buy and sell stocks and other financial instruments and on their yachts.
The poor would pay the tax on their Chevvies.
There could be an exception for medicine perhaps. But exceptions should be few and far between and the tax law authorizing this should be written in such a manner as to preclude lobbiests from getting Congressmen to write special laws and riders to give special breaks to < certain > corporations or individuals.
This would result in a massive increase in consumer spending as people would see every cent on their paychecks.
It would be nice to be able to do that for State Income Taxes as well.
If they put a 3% Federal VAT and a 1% State VAT both the Federal government and the State governments would see much more income than they do now.
Life would be much simpler for the common man if he didn't have to fight the Income Tax Forms every year.
With virtually no exemptions allowed though, we would all pay more. But it would be wrapped into the price we paid for things and would not be all that noticeable.
Arizona Willie posted at 9:20 am on Sun, Feb 3, 2013.
If, by " Fair Tax " Mr. Terrell means a FLAT TAX --- then hell no.
A flat tax is terribly regressive and puts a much greater burden on the poor than on the better off.
A poor famliy with $25,000 income after a 10% flat tax ( Federal only ) has only $21.250 left to pay their health insurance, state taxes and all the rest of their living expenses.
An upper middle class family with $250,000 income after a 10% flat tax ( Federal only ) has $212,500 left.
Which means the flat tax puts a HUGE burden on the poor and the better off hardly notice it.