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Taxing Sales under the FairTax – What Rate Works?
Boston University ^ | September 2006 | Laurence J. Kotlikoff et al

Posted on 10/19/2006 5:11:50 PM PDT by pigdog

As specified in Congressional bill H.R. 25/S. 25, the FairTax is a proposal to replace the federal personal income tax, corporate income tax, payroll (FICA) tax, capital gains, alternative minimum, self-employment, and estate and gifts taxes with a single-rate federal retail sales tax. The FairTax also provides a prebate to each household based on its demographic composition. The prebate is set to ensure that households pay no taxes net on spending up to the poverty level.

Bill Gale (2005) and the President’s Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform (2005) suggest that the effective (tax inclusive) tax rate needed to implement H.R. 25 is far higher than the proposed 23% rate. This study, which builds on Gale’s (2005) analysis, shows that a 23% rate is eminently feasible and suggests why Gale and the Tax Panel reached the opposite conclusion.

This paper begins by projecting the FairTax’s 2007 tax base net of its rebate. Next it calculates the tax rate needed to maintain the real levels of federal and state spending under the FairTax. It then determines if an effective rate of 23% would be sufficient to fund 2007 estimated spending or if not, the amount by which non-Social Security federal expenditures would need to be reduced. Finally, it shows that the FairTax imposes no additional real fiscal burdens on state and local government, notwithstanding the requirement that such governments pay the FairTax when they purchase goods and services.

(Excerpt) Read more at people.bu.edu ...


TOPICS: Heated Discussion
KEYWORDS: fairtax; incometax; itchyandscratchy; taxes; taxreform
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To: Mom MD
I recently had to send one of my kids to an expensive school (and college is coming up).
Oh you poor thing.
261 posted on 10/21/2006 7:12:50 AM PDT by lewislynn (Fairtax = lies, hope, wishful thinking, conjecture and lack of logic.)
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To: Always Right
You mean all those economist paid for by AFFT?

Yeah! Those and the hundres of others who have signed on simply becuse it is such a GREAT idea!

I don't put much weight into opinions of economists who were paid to come to particular conclusions.

Far a VERY long time now it has been abundantly clear to me that the only thing you put much weight into is what's in it for me?.

262 posted on 10/21/2006 7:14:15 AM PDT by Bigun (IRS sucks @getridof it.com)
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To: Bigun; Always Right
See there, Bigun - this homebuilder from Indiana knows all about that fraud and avoidance you've been doing in TX (since you're a FairTax supporter, of course - they're all breaking the law)!

Maybe he'll even rat on you to the TX IRS ... oops, he can't since there's no state income tax ... dangit!!! Maybe he'll tell your mother!

263 posted on 10/21/2006 7:15:09 AM PDT by pigdog
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To: Always Right
The reality is, even with the lower sales tax rates there is massive avoidance and quite a bit of business making tax-free business purchases that are really for personal use.

Yep! Many do try such things and if they continue the practice for very long at all in this state they WILL get dinged for it!

It is a very difficult thing to police.

Not so difficult as you seem to imagine I'll assure you.

264 posted on 10/21/2006 7:18:59 AM PDT by Bigun (IRS sucks @getridof it.com)
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To: Always Right
You think William Gale, Bruce Bartlett, and the President's Tax Panel weren't paid??? Guess that makes their work questionable, too - and they don't even show their work like Kotlikoff et al do so that it can be adequately reviewed.

They just state things and expect to be believed since they represent "the government". Sorry, but I like to see the work and reasoning involved. Do you have any???

265 posted on 10/21/2006 7:20:31 AM PDT by pigdog
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To: pigdog
Maybe he'll tell your mother!

Sorry! Can't do that either! At least not in THIS world. ;>)

266 posted on 10/21/2006 7:22:24 AM PDT by Bigun (IRS sucks @getridof it.com)
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To: Mom MD
By all means you should check out the FairTax Rate Calculator to see if the FairTax won't lower your effective tax rate. It sounds as though it would help greatly.

There are only 8 questions, it's anonymous, and is easy to use. Just do a thoughtful job and when you don't know any figures estimate as closely as p[ossible. Also, keep in mind that in question 6 (from memory), political contributions are also deductible but not so mentioned.

267 posted on 10/21/2006 7:26:40 AM PDT by pigdog
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To: Bigun
Not so difficult as you seem to imagine I'll assure you.

If I bought a roll of toilet paper for business use, how exactly do you police it to make sure I did not use it for personal use? It is nearly impossible.

268 posted on 10/21/2006 7:27:52 AM PDT by Always Right
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To: pigdog

I am leaving for a while and no longer have the time to engage in your nonsense.


269 posted on 10/21/2006 7:30:09 AM PDT by Always Right
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To: Bigun

Yeah, right!!! Several have been sighted on these threads from time to time attempting to tell us that. Some, however, can't even spell NIPA.


270 posted on 10/21/2006 7:33:11 AM PDT by pigdog
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To: Always Right
If I bought a roll of toilet paper for business use, how exactly do you police it to make sure I did not use it for personal use? It is nearly impossible.

Sorry! Can't give away state secrets! LOL!

I don't deny that one can probably get away with doing that on a very small scale but I'll assure you that they won't for long otherwise.

271 posted on 10/21/2006 7:34:06 AM PDT by Bigun (IRS sucks @getridof it.com)
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To: Mom MD
Oh, and when using the FairTax Rate Calculator in the link I gave, be sure to note that tuition is one of the many things that reduce your effective FairTax rate.

The nonsense you read from many of the FairTax opponents of "everything costs 30% more" (or even more) is just that - nonsense. Find your real effective FairTax rate and become informed (and empowered).

272 posted on 10/21/2006 7:36:27 AM PDT by pigdog
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To: Always Right

Wow!!! You use toilet paper??? How high class ... how appropriate, too.


273 posted on 10/21/2006 7:38:00 AM PDT by pigdog
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To: Always Right
Great - that'll give everyones' ears a well-deserved rest.

Who have you appointed o take over for you???

274 posted on 10/21/2006 7:39:43 AM PDT by pigdog
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To: xcamel

Please give me a link that shows me ever quoting polling or retract that untrue charge.


275 posted on 10/21/2006 7:43:23 AM PDT by pigdog
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To: Dimples
"BTW, the problem is a bit different at the state and local level, but Kotlikoff, in the very paper cited above, agrees that S&L governments will need to raise their own tax rates to collect enough money to pay their FairTax."

BTW, Kotlikoff et al (there are several economists involved in the paper) say no such thing unless you choose to take a single statement out of context and pretend that's what the paper says. IT ISN'T.

The paper mentions that as one of the things the particular government could do but he also points out others and that it isn't necessary unless they wish to do so (it being up to the state) ... but hey - they can do that now, can't they??

276 posted on 10/21/2006 7:51:24 AM PDT by pigdog
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To: xcamel
"And 20 million business owners, and another 40 million "whopper flopper's" behind cash registers. - all now federal tax agents."

Not at all ... that would be 20 million cash registers that are state tax agents (and the business owning them are paid for the "work" of their cash registers).

277 posted on 10/21/2006 7:54:21 AM PDT by pigdog
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To: groanup
You forgot the category of people who have after tax savings. In my case, nearing retirement, I have considerable after tax savings that would suffer an immediate haircut in value due to the change in tax on income vs. tax on spending.
278 posted on 10/21/2006 8:03:09 AM PDT by GregoryFul (There's no truth in the New York Times)
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To: xcamel
FT is not tax reform, it's simply exchanging one system for another.

So why are you upset about it then? Either tax systems have differences or they do not. I assert that they do - and further that the nrst is an improvement - and hence is by definition reform.

If you choose to continue reforming spending, have at it. I support you. I've been doing it for over 40 years. Long ago I came to the conclusion that spending reform won't happen until taxes are more visible and eveyone pays the same marginal rate.

The final disposition is that changing the method of collection of taxes can indeed have an impact on spending. As a simple example, simply changing the way we collect income taxes could affect gov't spending - by eliminating withholding and making people pay in cash monthly or annually. Golly, why hasn't it happend?

Don't you see that changing the method of collection could indeed affect gov't spending?

279 posted on 10/21/2006 8:10:55 AM PDT by Principled
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To: GregoryFul
I have considerable after tax savings
That isn't possible with the income tax. The only way anyone could ever accumulate wealth is if Congress passes the Fairtax.
< /sarcasm >
280 posted on 10/21/2006 8:11:39 AM PDT by lewislynn (Fairtax = lies, hope, wishful thinking, conjecture and lack of logic.)
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