Posted on 08/22/2005 6:53:28 PM PDT by RobFromGa
I sent this tonight to Linder and Boortz.
ping! :-D
I do think, however...that the economic boom that would result WOULD increase purchasing power...
That might be so, but it is not what they are counting on right out of the blocks for revenue neutrality.
Any system which would make it nobody's damned business what anybody else earns works for me.
The "Fair Tax" stuff will kill us small businesses who provide services. I am sure my clients will love to pay %20-30 taxes on what ever I produce.
To keep things at the same rate, I must drop my rate. I seriously doubt any business which will drop their rates just because "taxes" are not there.
Is there currently a tax on services?
The Kool-Aid drinkers are going to pile on any moment now...
I don't think Linder or Boortz will get it. They will still be convinced that employee taxes are not 'embedded taxes'. But it will be interesting how they respond.
You mean you currently aren't paying 23% of your gross in taxes and compliance costs?
Aren't "embedded taxes" going to vary greatly depending on product?
I don't think you fully understand the concept "embedded taxes".
Bob's Bakery will no longer have to pay either the employer portion or the employee portion of payroll taxes. The employee taxes, which are withheld from George's wages, are not an expense to Bob anyway. Bob pays George the same amount of money whether he withholds taxes or doesn't. George pays the tax, not Bob.
You forget that Bob the Baker pays income tax on his profit from sales. Businessess pay no taxes under the Fairtax. That is his main source of savings that he would be able to pass on to his customers. If Bob is feeling greedy and doesn't lower his prices, competiton from Jack's Bakery, who has the same tax savings and has lowered his prices, will force Bob to do the same or go out of business. That is unless Bob has really great cinnamon rolls.
Please tell me what would cause this "economic boom" to take place....
I just got finished reading "Flat Tax Revolution" by Steve Forbes. I have to say after reading that book I'm convinced more than ever that the Flat Tax is the way to go.
I still want to read the FairTax book to get a balanced perspective, but I'm a bit worried that the FairTax as I understand it may compel purchasers to buy used products whenever possible -- much like those who bought used cars and boats when the luxury tax was enacted -- and really hurt the new construction market.
The tax on services will mean that many things will get even more expensive, like college education. Moreover, even things the U.S. Government buys, like office supplies and fighter jets will have that extra overhead attached.
If you can find a copy (I got mine at my local Costco) I highly recommend reading "Flat Tax Revolution".
The fact that former Soviet satellite countries are implementing it and watching their productivity go through the roof seems to indicate that this is the way we should seriously consider.
Only a handfull of people would lower their prices.....It has nothing to do with GREED.....you work for money and would take more if offered, then you are "greedy" also...Why is it just the business owner who is greedy? If you are not greedy, then cut your own pay by 25 % tomorrow and have it sent to the needy......
If there were a Fair Tax, everyone would be waiting around for everyone else to lower their prices first and no one would ever do it...No one would cut their own salary, so businesses would not cut their prices..
Besides: The Gov-ment always wants more and the locals would raise their taxes to get any real savings if there were any..
Won't work..
Dear woodbeez,
"You forget that Bob the Baker pays income tax on his profit from sales"
Bob the baker is probably a sole proprietor or his business is a partnership, or an LLC, or a Subchapter S corporation, in which case, Bob pays personal income and payroll (although they're called self-employment) taxes on his income, which is the profit that he takes from his bakery. But in these cases, Bob pays no corporate income taxes. At all. Only Chapter C corporations pay corporate income tax, and most small businesses (in fact, most businesses) do not choose this form. In fact, in 2000, of 27 million business entities that filed a business tax return, only 2.2 million were C corporations. The rest owed no business income tax.
So, he is in the same position as any other wage earner - he pays personal income taxes, but not any kind of business income tax. He fills out a 1040 for his personal income taxes, like anyone else.
If Bob doesn't get to keep his personal income taxes, like everyone else does, then that puts Bob at a disadvantage to everyone else.
That probably isn't good for encouraging the formation and maintenance of small businesses.
sitetest
Any system that has to be sold using lies and misrepresentations doesn't work for me.
The Status Quo Lover crowd will tell you that only C-corporations pay taxes and that those are "minor" and that no other business can have cascading tax costs.
Obviously, none of that is correct, but they'll keep right on insisting it is so (and citing their own businesses, conveniently, as "proof").
The cascading effect of embedded tax costs continues as even a simple example has shown and the build-up effect mounts up rapidly. None of these guys can admit that this occurs as it destroys their argument.
Also note that in his letter to Linder the poster fails to figure in the effects of the prebate which ALSO helps the wage-earners ... and all others. All-in-all a very poorly-reasoned letter and I would be surprised if they even bothered to answer the allegations he makes, many of which are grossly in error.
>If there were a Fair Tax, everyone would be waiting around for everyone else to lower their prices first and no one would ever do it...No one would cut their own salary, so businesses would not cut their prices.. <
Then explain Walmarts sucess and why video rental costs are about 25% of the price they were 5 years ago with less competitors.Come back after you take high school economics.
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