The only tax that would be "fair" would be a voluntary tax.
Wow, looking over this "article" and some of the replies...so many distorted, deceptive, and ignorant statements, who has the time to address them ALL? Fallacies spread like wildfire, it's easy to spread them isn't it? Much harder to address them tactfully.
So many scarecrow arguments ripe for the torch, but it seems like others here have more than enough kerosene. I just wanted to point out that this Laurence Vance seems like a tinfoil wearing, impotent idealogue. Did he type this in his bomb shelter full of canned goods and 19th century muskets? Let's look at his credentials....um, "adjunct instructor" at Pensacola Junior College. Wow. Impressive. A community college in the Florida panhandle vs. Alan Greenspan, numerous respected economists from TOP universities, business associations, etc. If you buy this guy's line, there's no hope for you. Move in with him on his Anarchist's compound on the Redneck Riviera. The Flat Tax, Superman, and Sinter Klaus will be along shortly with pina coladas and Magic Unicorns which will chariot you on wheels of fire all the way to Capitol Hill. Amen, and watch out for fluorinated water faeries (Lance Vance joke). Go ahead and make your sand castles at high tide, kiddies, some of us have serious work to do.
The author of this piece and a few naysayers here seem to miss the primary purpose of HR25...the point of the Fair Tax is not the end all be all perfect tax system, but merely a way to wrest power from the gov and the lobbyists in and around the gov. Once that happens, then we US citizens will have the leverage to curb their spending and corruption. And once companies realize they no longer have to fear arcane tax codes, red tape, gov payoffs and such, the US will regain it's producing capacity, and make we can actually produce something other than shotty cars nobody wants. Or am I the only one noticing GM plants closing here while opening in China, tech jobs exported to India, China, Mexico, etc etc. That XBOX you bought your kid, hecho en Mexico. Your radio, China. Can we really afford 10 more years of the current tax code? Can we afford to whine about gov spending for the next 10 years while we get relegated to 2nd world superpower.
nopardons: "VAT garbage"
You should know what you're talking about before speaking so stridently. The fairtax is not a VAT, although they're both taxes based on consumption, the VAT is much more complicated, ripe for abuse, and in every country it's implemented in accompanies steep income and other taxes. Hell, you can read, do it: www.fairtax.org. Unless you like the idea of letting a sub from a Junior College tackle the heavy subjects.
I'm not the best proponent of HR25, but cmon! PENSACOLA JUNIOR COLLEGE!
bpjam:" Rich people will learn to game the new system just like they do now. And there is no way you get Democrats to go along with NOT taxing the rich so its a moo point (you know, what a cow thinks...)"
Geez, thanks for the pep talk, C3pO.