Posted on 12/19/2004 1:40:29 PM PST by Remember_Salamis
"US retailers are against the 'fair tax' for good reason."
Indeed they are. They have their distribution channels all set up to bring in cheap imports, taking full advantage of the fact that our tax system puts US producers at a decided disadvantage against their foreign counterparts. What do they care if we have a $600 billion trade deficit? Well, when foreigners start dumping their US T-bills because they have no more confidence in the US $, and interest rates start spiking up, I'll bet they will start caring.
"And the only thing I have to assuage my concerns about rising prices is the assurances of "experts" on the internet."
That is only true if you refuse to research the proposal for yourself. The information is out there, and the economic research has been done by people who are well respected in their field. No one is gfoing to force you to get the facts, however. You are free to rely on your emotions if you choose.
"This is why it's misleading to sell the SuperHappyFairTax as an anti-IRS measure."
It isn't misleading at all. The FairTax will replace a tax system which, according to CCH, now runs in excess of 60,000 pages with one that is currently between 100 and 200. That is about a 99.7% simplification. The number of collection points is also dramatically reduced. Compliance and enfoecement would be significantly improved.
"The so-called experts they use (and paid quite well I might add)"
How much were they paid?
here is an excellent historical article previously posted by Chief Negotiator about tax systems:
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a38dade3c55fb.htm
"The vast majority of seniors will see a windfall by not having their qualified dollars taxed."
There is a much bigger benefit here for seniors. A couple of nationally known money managers preicted that the DJI would double within 24 months of passing the FairTax. Guess who would benefit most from that development? That would dwarf any minor differences in what many seniors would pay for their consumption during that period.
"The only fair tax is a flat tax,"
The leading flat tax proposal is the Burgess bill, which would introduce a flat tax alternative to the current system. There would therefore be 3 separate and distinct income tax calculations for all tax payers
1. current progressive tax
2. AMT
3. flat tax
So congress would have THREE sets of tax rules to manipulate us with. At the current growth rate, the tax system will exceed 100,000 pages by 2010. With the Burgess flat tax, we could probably get there by 2008.
I thought the goal was simplification.
In addition, the flat tax maintains one very significant problem of the current system. It imbeds the cost of our tax system into our production via corporate income and payroll taxes and makes US produced goods less competitive in the global marketplace. If there is one trend that should be obvious, it is the increasing globalization of our economy and those around the world. To continue to operate in that environment with an antiquated, inefficient system such as we have, or would have with the flat tax, is ridiculous.
You guys all have the same disease. It's not "information", it's opinion, projections, prognostications, conjecture and flat out guesses.
I have read all the windy, stat filled policy wonk stuff. On the web, and ad nauseum on here.
And I've been called names and besmirched for not unquestioningly swallowing it hook line and sinker. It's like a cult you guys have going.
And it's boring, boring, boring.
So fire a few insults my way like your little compatriots have been doing, that will surely convince people.
"so why bother with all this difficult-to-explain 'tax-inclusive' stuff?"
Because income tax rates and sales tax rates are traditionally calculated in a way that is biased towards income taxes. If you simply quote rates for income taxes and sales taxes that are calculated the traditional way, it will seem that the sales tax rate is significantly higher than the income tax even when both are the same dollar amount.
"The FairTax would reduce the value of their current wealth by 23%."
Certainly not true for equities, which would increase in value dramatically during the early years of the FairTax.
"The government has to track the existance of everyone in the US and have their current address. Considering hundred of thousands of people move everyday, that is quite a task."
Do you really think it's the goverment's responsibility to track people down and force them to receive their rebate checks? Get serious!
No Income Tax is Fair, and No IRS is Acceptable.
Live it, Learn it, Get Used to it
Fight for the Fair Tax NOW or we will most certainly fight Armed IRS Agents later.
With a Fair Tax there are NO Armed IRS Agents coming to Your House to CHECK YOUR PAPERS! The IRS will cease to exist!
Get Audited... just once and you will agree to join me.
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