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Fred Thompson supports a “Fair Tax.” I just don’t like the name. “Fair” is an overused liberal word (think of the whine “That’s not faaaair!”). What would be a better name for a national sales tax?

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  1. When was the last time a new tax was introduced without removing an old tax? In the State of Washington, the Dem’s keep trying to add an income tax without removing any OTHER tax. Do you honestly think the “Fair Tax” will replace the income tax??
    That and a dime will get you a Starf**cks coffee cup.

  2. True, shimauma. It would take a serious bite out of the “underground economy” since they wouldn’t be able to buy beernuts at the local 7-Eleven without paying +15% for them. But watch out! The Congress WON’T do away with the income tax! The megalobby comprised of tax attorneys, accountants, cpa’s, preparers, etc., etc., will put a stop to it.

  3. link
    “There is widespread confusion about what the Fair Tax would entail. If you bought $100 of clothing and paid a $30 tax on it, you would probably think you had paid a 30 percent tax. The Fair Taxers say that you paid a 23 percent tax: $30 is 23 percent of the $130 you paid in total. When they say they want a 23 percent tax, that’s what they mean.”
    Truth is always so much funnier than parody, but which is this? How can I teach my kids math when this stuff is going on?

  4. How about National Fiddle With The Law To Control The Economy For Campaign Contributions Tax.
    You think the tax code is complicated now? Wait until they start giving breaks for this and punishing that. And it will all be hidden, collected by the retailers. It’s a politician’s wet dream.
    If Fred is really for this, I’m off the bandwagon.

  5. I’d say “consumption tax” as opposed to “production tax.”
    Alternatively, a “no sacred cows” tax. Like someone was saying above…everyone’s gotta pay it. Huh. There’s that word Frank doesn’t like, popping up again.
    At least when the non-leftists throw it around, it’s measurable. It’s a pain-in-the-ass to us all, that makes it fair.

  6. Interesting, isn’t it?, how collecting sales taxes makes you a collection agent for the state, first, last and always? It’s quite the racket.
    And, we’ve politicized EVERYTHING to go along with our various tax structures.
    Ah…Socrates, you’re right. I’d like a collection exemption for what I make.

  7. I think Consumption Tax is as good as anything. And it’s true, not only will illegals finally be paying taxes, but so will drug dealers, loan sharks, and every other kind of scum that’s been dodging the system for so long. If they spend money in America, they pay a tax. The only argument I’ve heard so far against the fair tax that makes any sense at all is the fact that people now that don’t pay taxes because of exemptions, due to low income or student status, or whatever, will now suddenly be paying quite a bit more for everything they buy. Though the rebuttal to this argument is the suggestion that food, and by that I don’t mean McDonald’s and Twinkies, wouldn’t be affected by the sales tax. So the poor people will be prevented from buying junkfood and plasma TVs. Oh, the horror.

  8. income tax = taxing producers
    sales tax = taxing consumers
    Speaking as a frugal producer, I would like to shift the tax burden to the gluttons who don’t produce. We shouldn’t feed the parasites any more than we are forced to.
    The best thing about sales tax is that it is visible and immediate and even illegals have to pay it – unlike the hidden incantations and illusions of payroll withholding. If its visible, then people will feel it at the cash register and be against taxes in general: “My Doritos cost WHATT? &%%$($!! big government! #@$@$ Democrats!” That would help wise up people.

  9. The “Fair Tax” that Fred Thompson is supporting was created with the consumer in mind. It is a national sales tax that takes the place of all other taxes.
    that means there would be no:
    Federal income tax
    Death tax
    Marriage tax
    property tax
    social security tax
    tea tax
    state tax
    tax tax
    eye tax
    foot tax
    etc etc etc
    I made those last ones up but you get the picture. The actual Fair Tax plan puts the power in the peoples hands and takes it away from the government. I think thats a plan we can all get behind dont you? I freakin hate hippie liberals and even though you don’t know me you shoudl still take my word and look in to this.
    It IS a good thing.

  10. Hasn’t anyone read the Neal Boortz Fair Tax book? It will clear up all the misconceptions. Everyone gets a “prebate” so the poor don’t suffer. It’s actually a good idea.
    It doesn’t stand a chance of passing, since government would loose power, so let’s call it the “Snowballs Chance Tax”.

  11. It’s all academic anyway because when Hillary is elected and has Pelosi and Reid as her personal lap dogs, your federal tax rates will increase “slightly” to pay for her new vision for your future…including re-education “villages” for readers of IMAO…

  12. Dark thoughts, ussjimmycarter. I’d like to see that biatch even try to run one of her “villages” in the rural area where I live. As Dick put it in his interview the other day:

    Also, I’m one of the few who wouldn’t mind a civil war, but only if we could get the geographical boundaries sorted out.

  13. I doubt it will ever happen because we would have to repeal a lot of laws and at least one amendment to the Constitution.
    If it did happen I would like it to be called the “Optional” or “Self directed” Tax. Don’t want to pay taxes? Control your personal spending.

  14. The all new and improved “Our former government tax and accounting policies were like constantly rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, but finally we wised up and made everybody pay at least some tax” tax.
    At least it would meet or exceed the new federal standards for improved and streamlined tax law title simplification.

  15. Of the FairTax, Huckabee asserts that it’s…
    ï SIMPLE, easy to understand
    ï EFFICIENT, inexpensive to comply with and doesn’t cause less-than-optimal business decisions for tax minimization purposes
    ï FAIR, FLAT, and FAMILY FRIENDLY, loophole-free, and everyone pays their share
    ï LOW TAX RATE is achieved by broad base with no exclusions
    ï PREDICTABLE, doesn’t change, so financial planning is possible
    ï UNINTRUSIVE, doesn’t intrude into our personal affairs or limit our liberty
    ï VISIBLE, not hidden from the public in tax-inflated prices or otherwise
    ï PRODUCTIVE, rewards – rather than penalizes – work and productivity
    A detailed benefits analysis of the plan (from The FairTax Book) explains Huckabee’s ardent advocacy:
    FOR INDIVIDUALS:
    ï No more tax on income – make as much as you wish
    ï You receive your full paycheck – no more deductions
    ï You pay the tax when you buy “at retail” – not “used”
    ï No more double taxation (e.g. like on current Capital Gains)
    ï Reduction of “pre-FairTaxed” retail prices by 20%-30%
    ï Adding back 29.9% FairTax maintains current price levels
    ï FairTax would constitute 23% portion of new prices
    ï Every household receives a monthly check, or “pre-bate”
    ï “Prebate” is “advance payback” for monthly consumption to poverty level
    ï FairTax’s “prebate” ensures progressivity, poverty protection
    ï Finally, citizens are knowledgeable of what their tax IS
    ï Elimination of “parasitic” Income Tax industry
    ï NO MORE IRS. NO MORE FILING OF TAX RETURNS by individuals
    ï Those possessing illicit forms of income will ALSO pay the FairTax
    ï Households have more disposable income to purchase goods
    ï Savings is bolstered with reduction of interest rates
    FOR BUSINESSES:
    ï Corporate income and payroll taxes revoked under FairTax
    ï Business compensated for collecting tax at “cash register”
    ï No more tax-related lawyers, lobbyists on company payrolls
    ï No more embedded (hidden) income/payroll taxes in prices
    ï Reduced costs. Competition – not tax policy – drives prices
    ï Off-shore “tax haven” headquarters can now return to U.S
    ï No more “favors” from politicians at expense of taxpayers
    ï Resources go to R&D and study of competition – not taxes
    ï Marketplace distortions eliminated for fair competition
    ï US exports increase their share of foreign markets
    FOR THE COUNTRY:
    ï 7% – 13% economic growth projected in the first year of the FairTax
    ï Jobs return to the U.S.
    ï Foreign corporations “set up shop” in the U.S.
    ï Tax system trends are corrected to “enlarge the pie”
    ï Larger economic “pie,” means thinner tax rate “slices”
    ï Initial 23% portion of price is pressured downward as “pie”
    increases
    ï No more “closed door” tax deals by politicians and business
    ï FairTax sets new global standard. Other countries will follow
    While passionately supporting FairTax, Huckabee understands that, if elected President, Congress will have to present the bill for his signature. His call to action goes beyond his candidacy, Main Street will have to demand that their legislators deliver the bill.

  16. I’d call it Thumb Tax.
    still, my favourite tax would be “No Tax”
    If politicians really want to be public servants, then they can pay everything it costs to run the country. Plus, that would probably cut down a lot on campaign spending (you know anyone willing to spend all his OWN money – with no reward or compensation other than the country running smoothly – to improve the country genuinely cares), leaving said politicians with more money to spend on making the U.S. work. That’s my No Tax plan.

  17. Fair Voldemort.
    Because politicians should think three or four times before even using the term ‘tax’, and when they do they damn better mean to do something about it or suffer the consequences.

  18. “Initial 23% portion of price is pressured downward as “pie” increases”
    What exerts this downward pressure? How is the Fair Tax any different from the current system in this regard? Getting a tax cut out of Washington is always going to be like pulling teeth. (Of course, here in Maryland, it’s like pulling teeth from an alligator in a pool full of gelatin)
    Also, I don’t think it eliminates tax dodges, it just moves them around. Instead of paying workers under the table, you now have an incentive to buy goods under the table, and with no IRS, nobody checks the vendor’s income. Barring a sense of decency, why should a merchant sell anything at a 30% markup and give the extra to the state, when he can quietly sell it for a 20% markup and keep the difference? How, in other words, is it enforced?

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