Posted on 05/07/2015 7:41:33 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Despite having a relatively moderate record on tax policy as the governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee has wholeheartedly embraced a radically regressive tax plan as a central plank of his presidential candidate platform.
For years, Huckabee has been one of the main proponents of the Fair Tax, a plan that would replace all federal taxes with a national sales tax. Citizens for Tax Justice and the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation have each found that to raise the same amount of revenue as current law, the sales tax rate would have to be about 50 percent.
A study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) found that under the Fair Tax, the top 1 percent of taxpayers would receive an average annual tax cut of $225,000. Meanwhile, the plan would increase taxes by about $3,200 on average on the bottom 80 percent of taxpayers. In other words, Huckabees tax plan would significantly increase taxes on the overwhelming majority of Americans to pay for huge tax cuts for the very wealthiest Americans.
While Senator Ted Cruz also has endorsed a national sales tax, Huckabee has been much more outspoken in his support. Just last year he appeared in and promoted the right-wing documentary, Unfair: Exposing the IRS, which lauded the Fair Tax as the best way to reform our tax system and as a way to abolish the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). To make its case for eliminating the IRS, the film called IRS agents jack-booted thugs and implied that, if left unchecked, the IRS will create concentration camps in America.
The ironic thing about Huckabees call to abolish the IRS is that the Fair Tax would hardly collect itself. Rather than having a federal revenue agency, the plan would just shift the responsibility to already strapped state governments.
Huckabees advocacy for this radically unfair tax plan does not comport with his relatively moderate tax record as the governor of Arkansas. Largely in response to an Arkansas court ruling declaring education funding in the state constitutionally inadequate, Huckabee sensibly worked to enact a series of tax increases to increase funding for education in his state. An analysis by Arkansass Department of Finance and Administration actually found that over his time as governor Huckabee increased revenue raised via taxes by $505 million.
Even though Huckabee is outspoken in his support for the radical conservative agenda on taxes through his support of the Fair Tax, he has still earned the continuing ire of militant anti-tax conservative groups for his deviations from their anti-tax philosophy as governor of Arkansas. In fact, the Club for Growth is already running campaign ads against Huckabees presidential candidacy based on his Arkansas tax record. This move by the Club for Growth reveals the extremism of this and other anti-tax groups, considering how fully Huckabee has now embraced their tax-cuts-for-the-rich agenda.
I have zero interest in what Huckabee has to say. I am tuned out.
It’s mostly about his record raising taxes in Arkansas and his proposals this year.
There is only one man to save this country. A man of honor, education , life skills and actual performance under pressure . That man in Doctor Ben Carson!!! Go Doctor!! Always remember that little bushhies brother ripped up the constitution and invaded your privacy with the Meta intrusion in your phone calls and emails and twitters. He should be arrested!!
This article is misdirection. It masks the fact that Huckabee is a religious statist and pro open-borders.
Let’s see if he throws out any great Hucksterisms!
Starting at the top ( i.e. running for president, without ever having run for/holding any elected office P) used to be frowned on and rightly so!
A study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) found that under the Fair Tax, the top 1 percent of taxpayers would receive an average annual tax cut of $225,000. Meanwhile, the plan would increase taxes by about $3,200 on average on the bottom 80 percent of taxpayers. In other words, Huckabees tax plan would significantly increase taxes on the overwhelming majority of Americans to pay for huge tax cuts for the very wealthiest Americans.
Was just talking about this yesterday. I'll repeat what I posted there:
As part of his 2008 bid, Huckabee proposed a 23% national sales tax in addition to existing local sales taxes. That adds up to 30%+ in most areas. Huckabee needs to prove why voters should render an over 30% tax to Caesar, but only a 10% tithe to God.
Any time a culture rejects God's sovereignty over them, looks to government to save them, and neglects to combine a robust faith with the virtue of personal responsibility, that decision will cost the people dearly....Contrary to the thinking of many, Government isn't divinely authorized or sufficiently competent to provide things such as housing, food, child-care, health care, etc. Just because someone is in need that doesn't give the state the right to coercively take another person's property and give it to someone the government says should have it. That kind of taxation is not charitable and neither is it moral. Instead, it is a violation of the 8th Commandment of God, "Thou shalt not steal"....
-- from the thread Tax Time and the Bible's Story About Government
Funny, I seem to recall a few people in a couple of Houses that had a bit to do with it too. He should be arrested? You wouldn't happen to be a demwit would ya? Seems to be all I ever heard from them for the last 14 years. And thank you, I'll roll with Cruz.
Half of everything that is spent would be taxes? I doubt it
That’s why million love him. HE IS PERFECT for the job. You will come around. “socialist”? that is slander my friend. Watch out.
This article falsely portrays the fair tax as regressive and evil and then tries to tie Huck to it. That’s unfair. Even to the Huck.
The Fair Tax as envisioned by Neil Bortz and lots of others is a term that covers a range of schemes. None call for a 50% sales tax.
Oldplayer
Ben has less than NOTHING to commend him for the job of president, than many other conservatives ( many more CONSERVATIVE than he is ! ), in the general public, to be one. He is so far removed from being "PERFECT for the job" that it's laughable!
"Million ( SIC) love him." ? You wish !
I'll NEVER "come around" and Ben won't win a single primary !
WOW,What a drama queen you are, and most definitely sound like a demonrat plant right down to the hysterical hyperbole in caps. And surprising since the listening in upsets you so much you don’t name the Presidents back to 1978 in your rant, are you naive, ignorant or simply the giant tool you appear to be?
You are a bushie— right?
Write this down: There will not be another black president in our lifetime.
Personal attack is abuse here. I was a Goldwater conservative before you were born mam. Watch for the Kitty!!
I’m for Cruz and far more knowledgeable about history and politics than you are; n00b.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.