Just how fair is the 'FairTax'?

Money.cnn ^ | 9/7/05 | Pat Regnier

[Man50D]

NEW YORK (Money magazine) - If you don't care much for talk radio, or you don't live in the South, the name Neal Boortz might not ring a bell.

But pay attention: Around 4 million people nationwide catch his radio show. It's No. 1 in Boortz's home market of Atlanta and ranks first or second in numerous smaller cities in red states.

His 180-page polemic for radical tax reform, The FairTax Book, made its debut at No. 1 on the New York Times' bestseller list in August.

When Boortz came to Jacksonville for a book signing at a downtown hotel on a sticky, sweltering Thursday night last month, close to 1,000 people turned out for a chance to meet him -- and to bask in his rage at the Internal Revenue Service.

"How many of you want the federal government out of your paycheck?" asks Boortz from the hotel's ballroom stage. Wooo-hooo! roars the crowd. Boortz's wife Donna, standing at the back of the room, looks on in amazement.

"This is for taxes," she says. "This is not sex and violence we're talking about."

No kidding. Everybody likes a tax cut, but fundamental tax reform is one of those issues that's generally as boring as it is important. Who wants to waste an evening thinking about marginal rates? But the plan Boortz is selling is disarmingly simple: Just eliminate most federal taxes -- income tax, Social Security tax, corporate tax, what's left of the estate tax -- and replace them with a big, fat national sales tax.

[Sprite518]

If you're going to quote the FairTax rate on an exclusive basis, then why don't you start quoting the income tax it will replace the same way? Well --- I think I know why. The income tax is a good class warfare tool. It can be used to buy votes for leftist Democrats. So you quote the income tax rate in the most favorable possible terms. You don't like the FairTax because it treats every American exactly the same, and because it would be a completely ineffective class warfare tool ... so you quote the FairTax rate in the most negative possible terms. All we ask is that you show consistency. Pick your terms, exclusive or inclusive, and use that method when quoting both tax rates.


BTW, you mentioned earlier that Pigdog had some post pulled? Which one's because I do not see it??

[Always Right]

Anyone who is taxed at least 25% (Fed, State, FICA) on their pay check (most of us are unless you are making minimum wage) then you add the 7% sales tax well. That means you are currently paying 33%. That is higher than under the fair tax.

You are collecting the SAME amount of tax. So trying to make the claim that people would no be paying less tax is utter non-sense.

[Sprite518]

See post 261. Quit trying to confuse the people that are taking an honest look...

[kevkrom]

First off 23% is the Fair Tax and not 30%

Actually, it's either/both. Depending on the context, the usage of the 23% inclusive rate or the 29.87% exclusive rate should be chosen accordingly.

Another thing to remmeber is that if the Bush tax cuts are made permanent, the "revenue-neutral" rate actually drops to a little over 19% tax-inclusive, just under 24% tax-exclusive.

[Sprite518]

No you are the guys that love to add the average State Sales tax in order to say its really 30%. So if you are going to do that with the Fair Tax, then lets do that with the current tax.

Oh I know you do not want to do that because then people will realize there paying higher taxes... LOL!

[Your Nightmare]

See post 261. Quit trying to confuse the people that are taking an honest look...

First, 25% + 7% = 33% is honest? Second, adding an inclusive rate to an exclusive rate most certainly isn't honest.

Your side has a long history of trying to confuse people about the realities of the FairTax so I wouldn't throw stones.

[Sprite518]

I have to go now.. I will look at it later...

[Your Nightmare]

No you are the guys that love to add the average State Sales tax in order to say its really 30%. So if you are going to do that with the Fair Tax, then lets do that with the current tax.

So 25% + 7% = 32% averages up to 33%? Is this what you are saying?

[Always Right]

If you're going to quote the FairTax rate on an exclusive basis, then why don't you start quoting the income tax it will replace the same way?

Because when I say it is a 30% sales tax on something, it is the truth. You use the inclusive rate to confuse people. And why are you adding 7% sales tax on to 25% anyways. You pull numbers out of your lying butt.

[lewislynn]

Fairtax FAQ #47

I know the FairTax rate is 23 percent when compared to current income taxes. What will the rate of the sales tax be at the retail counter?

Answer: 30 percent....And then it has a two page essay to explain the deception.

If you don't already know that you don't know anything about the Fairtax.

[kevkrom]

First, 25% + 7% = 33% is honest? Second, adding an inclusive rate to an exclusive rate most certainly isn't honest.

Let's drop the rhetoric... it's a mistake, and should only be called "dishonest" if the person repeatedly presents it as correct after having been definitively shown the error.

If you want to add tax-exclusive rates... a 25% tax-inclusive rate is a 33% tax-exclusive rate. Since you can simply add tax-exclusive rates together to get the total rate, that comes to a total of 40% tax-exclusive, or 28.57% ( .4 / 1.4 * 100% ) tax-inclusive.