In fact, the most likely rate is presently 19% rather than 23% ... still revenue neutral. You don't seem to grasp the effect on tax revenue with an expanding economy but a dynamic analysis (which the Tax Panel Report is definitely not) clearly shows it.
In fact, the most likely rate is presently 19% rather than 23% ... still revenue neutral.Fairtax economist Kotlikoff:
Tax RatesGee, I wonder who's the liar...The Fairtax economist or the faceless, self appointed spokesmouth using a phony name?Simulation analysis and a variety of empirical calculations suggest that the retail sales tax rate needed for revenue neutrality under the Fair Tax, assuming no decline in the real value of government purchases, would be roughly 30 percent when measured on a tax-inclusive basis. This tax rate could be expected to decline by 3 or so percentage points over time as the economy expands. Moreover, if the Fair Tax were structured to include the consumption of existing housing services in its tax base, the initial Fair Tax rate would probably be about 3 percentage points lower. This could be accomplished by assessing the tax on the imputed rent on housing, where the calculation of imputed rent is based on a fair market valuation of housing real estate. This valuation could be done by local municipalities in the course of appraising houses for local property taxes.
A tax-inclusive consumption tax rate of 30 percent translates into a tax-exclusive consumption tax rate of 43 percent. While the 43 percent rate sounds very high, proper comparison of the Fair Tax tax rate with the current payroll and income tax rates requires evaluating the consumption tax rate on a tax-inclusive basis. Even a 30 percent tax rate may sound like a high rate. But one needs to bear in mind that middle and upper income households in America are typically in combined income tax and payroll tax marginal tax brackets of 40 percent or more and that low income Americans are typically in even higher tax brackets once one considers the phase out of the earned income tax credit. Hence, given the state of U.S. marginal taxation, 30 percent is a low number.