Farm Group Makes Fairer Taxes a Priority

The Heartland Institute ^ | March 1, 2004 | Roger W. Buchholtz

[ancient_geezer]

“Internationally, income and payroll taxes and the cost of compliance burden our farm exports, making them less competitive on the world market,” *** "The FairTax improves export competitiveness across the board--not just for agriculture”

Rep. Bill Archer, Chairman, House Ways and Means Committee:

• "A recent survey was done, in Europe and Japan, of the major corporations and I was astounded at the results. They were asked, 'If the US abolished its income tax and went to a sales tax, would that have any impact on your decisions?' Eighty percent of the corporations said they would build their factories in the United States of America. Twenty percent said they would move their international headquarters to the United States of America."

[ancient_geezer]

A Taxreform bump for you all.

If you would like to be added to this ping list let me know.

[WhiteGuy]

Fair Tax Bump

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.
Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[Bigun]

B U M P ! ! !

[Redbob]

Earth to Bill Archer:
80% of major Jap and European corporations ALREADY have factories in the U.S.

Because of our low wages and high productivity.
Compared to, for example, Germany, that is.

[EternalVigilance]

Bravo!

I think it is delicious that the drive to replace the income tax is emanating from rural America.

Farm Bureau BUMP!

[Redbob]

Does anyone see the irony of this?
A farmers' group, meeting in Honolulu, calls for fairer taxes?

How about farmers calling for fairer distribution of farm handouts?
Not very likely, is it?

[reelfoot]

Fair Tax BUMP.

[ancient_geezer]

Actually most of the small farmers I know don't want subsidies they would rather farm. Subsidies just make it more difficult to compete with the big corporate farms.

[EternalVigilance]

Your point is well taken. However, let me point out that once the burden of our current hidden silly system is removed, and once foreign goods are finally being taxed at the point of sale, some of the pressure to subsidize our farm products to protect them from other country's protectionism will be removed.

The FairTax is a first step to a whole lot of things.

[from occupied ga]

, some of the pressure to subsidize our farm products to protect them from other country's protectionism will be removed

Protectionism is exactly right. Sugar in the USA is approximately 3x higher than sugar in Canada and Mexico. This is just a wealth transfer from the taxpayers to the big sugar farmers.

[EternalVigilance]

But to stay with the current tax system is to stay with those subsidies forever.

The FairTax is the only road to reversing the trade problems we have. Nothing else will work.

The FairTax will make free but FAIR trade possible.

[freedomluvr1778]

Oh, I thought by the title, the AFBF was going to recommend that States get rid of Agricultural exemptions on property tax assessments. /sarcasm

[from occupied ga]

But to stay with the current tax system is to stay with those subsidies forever.

I don't understand how changing the collection method wil end subsidies. They would seem to be a separate issue.

[Principled]

National Retail Sales Tax bump.

Squeeze and press "Sales Tax"
or
HR 25 FAQ here...

[EternalVigilance]

I don't understand how changing the collection method wil end subsidies. They would seem to be a separate issue.

Then let me explain. It's really very simple. The costs of our current system are built into the price of every product we produce now, either for domestic consumption or for export. Additionally, foreign producers, once they have cleared any tariff hurdles, sell in our market unimpeded...with none of the built-in costs of our tax system built into their products.

So, our producers are hobbled both at home and in the world market, while imports possess a huge competitive advantage in our own market.

Under the FairTax, that situation will be exactly reversed: our products will become the most competitive in the world, because no tax costs will be built in. And finally, foreign products will be taxed at the point of sale. The FairTax goes to the root of our trade problems and solves them.

[from occupied ga]

So, our producers are hobbled both at home and in the world market, while imports possess a huge competitive advantage in our own market.

This is a little different from my understanding. I thought the producers lobbied for import quotas and tarrifs and didn't want to compete in a free market. I'm sure this is the case for sugar since US citizens are not allowed to import Canadian sugar (or Canadian toilets either.)

[EternalVigilance]

My point is that they aren't competing in a free market now, which makes it necessary for them to seek protection from the very people who have put them in an untenable competitive position to start with.

The federal income tax as currently comprised is the largest protection racket ever devised by man.

Time to treat the disease instead of the symptoms. The FairTax does that in spades.