I may be wrong, but I believe that a piece of legislation, such as H.B. 25, could be contingent upon a constitutional amendment, rather than the amendment being linked to the legislation.
Good point. I'm sure that the experts will clarify it for us, but I think your point sounds very valid. I expect to see a lot of discussion regarding this question when the ping list is woken up.
I may be wrong, but I believe that a piece of legislation, such as H.B. 25, could be contingent upon a constitutional amendment, rather than the amendment being linked to the legislation.
While that is undoubtedly true, such legislation has been introduced in the past to no avail. The simple fact is that in nearly 100 yrs of legislation of all kinds proposing the repeal of the 16th amendment while the income tax is still active and in place has not led to the repeal of the 16th or even the enactment of the proposal to repeal that amentmendment.
!00 years of history as regards this issue make it clear at the very least that to wait for repeal of the 16th is simply nothing more than to continue waiting and paying the income tax with all its problems.
The direction of HR25, the Fair Tax, is to remove the income tax statutes, and destroy the underlying infrastructure(i.e. abolish in the IRS & destory all tax payer records) putting in place a viable alternative tax system, the NRST in place. Then push the repeal based on a fait accompi, and obsolecence of income taxes.
For those that object that this may lead to re-intstitution of the federal income tax again giving us both the income tax and national retail sales taxes, please note that in that same hundred years not once has the US ever been successful in implementing either VATs or retail sales taxes ontop on income taxes even though there is no impedement to that other than the lack of political viability and will to do so.
There is no evidence whatso ever that a move to re-institute the income tax over an inplace NRST would be successful or tolerated by the electorate, especially considering the American experience with the overbearing presence of the IRS. The negative memory of that institution of itself acts as a barrior to re-introduction, not to mention that it would take getting past Senate filibuster of very determined conservatives to prevent such a possiblity.
I have no fear whatsoever that once the NRST is in place, the rapid enactment of Sam Johnson's amendment to the constitution
H.J.RES.61
Title: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to abolish the Federal income tax.
Sponsor: Rep Johnson, Sam [TX-3] (introduced 6/24/2003) Cosponsors: 5
Latest Major Action: 9/4/2003 Referred to House subcommittee. Status: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution.
or one like it will go forward and be ratified rapidly with the NRST in place an law of the land.