Posted on 05/05/2006 1:35:32 PM PDT by RobFromGa
In my letter to Rep. Linder and Mr. Boortz of August 24, 2005, I pointed out a number of what I called “serious misrepresentations” of the Fair Tax plan contained in “The FairTax Book”. I specifically named many of these by page #.
Now that the revised second issue is out, let’s see what they did to these passages in the book:
First edition page 55, you go on to explain that these embedded taxes are “in addition to the money taken out of your check in income and payroll taxes.”
Second edition- this line was eliminated. This means that they are acknowledging that the 22% embedded taxes INCLUDE the income and payroll taxes which was one of my points all along.
First edition page 59, “Once the FairTax takes effect, you’ll be receiving 100 percent of every paycheck, with no withholding of federal income taxes, Social security taxes, or Medicare taxes and you’ll be paying just about the same price for T-shirts and other consumer goods and services that you were paying before the FairTax.”
Second edition- “Once the FairTax takes effect, you’ll be in complete control of your paycheck as nothing will be withheld and your purchasing power for t-shirts and all other goods and services will be almost exactly what it was before the FairTax.”
This means that they are acknowledging that “purchasing power” will remain the same, not a big increase in purchasing power as they previously asserted with their larger paychecks/same prices verbiage. They eliminated the “100% of paycheck” wording.
First edition page 83: “Remember that the poor, along with everyone else—will no longer have Social Security taxes or Medicare taxes removed from their paychecks. Whatever they earn, they get on payday. For most of those we categorize as poor, this would mean an immediate 25 to 30 percent increase in their take-home pay.”
Second edition- “Remember that the poor, along with everyone else—will no longer have Social Security taxes or Medicare taxes removed from their paychecks. Whatever they earn, they get on payday. If employers leave this money in paychecks instead of taking it out of price, most of those we categorize as poor, this would mean an immediate 25 to 30 percent increase in their take-home pay.”
Of course, this acknowledges that the employer has a choice to make—to pay the worker his current paycheck and not reduce prices (meaning prices with FairTax added go up 30%) or to cut paychecks to present takehome levels. They cannot both give workers more takehome pay and reduce prices. The Free Lunch described in the first edition is eliminated.
First edition, page 84, you make it clear though that even though the workers will keep all of their paychecks for a big raise, you still believe that because of “the disappearance of the embedded taxes, the total price paid for consumer goods will remain very nearly the same”.
Second edition—“when you factor in the combined lower prices/higher takehome pay caused by the disappearance of the embedded taxes” prices will remain about the same.
This again acknowledges that they money currently deducted as taxes can either be used to increase take-home pay or reduce prices but not both at the same time. If they were being more honest here, they would have referred to purchasing power remaining the same rather than prices, but they are trying to put the best possible spin on this major admission.
First edition page 111, you tie it all together with a Quick Review in which you erroneously assert that “Here’s what happens when we pass and implement the FairTax plan:
“We start collecting 100 percent of our earnings on our paycheck.
“We all get virtual raises, since payroll taxes are no longer siphoned from our checks.
“The prices of consumer goods and services remain essentially the same, with the removal of the embedded taxes compensating for the added consumption tax.”
Second edition:
“We start controlling our earnings in every paycheck” (whatever that means)
“100% earnings” line is eliminated from the second edition. "virtual raises" is likewise eliminated.
“Our purchasing power for buying consumer goods and services remains essentially the same, with the removal of the embedded taxes compensating for the added consumption tax.”
This is a MAJOR difference in the Quick Review! In the first edition, they promised larger paychecks and prices remianign the same—which means a major increase in purchasing power. Of course this was a ridiculous promise. In the second edition, they say our purchasing power will be about the same.
They still left a lot of wrong and misleading verbiage throughout the book, but they addressed most of the concerns that I sent to them and removed those claims in the second book.
You guys are apparently either blind or stupid - you get to choose which. It's reallyu amazing you haven't spotted it. That really says a lot for your "work" opposing the FairTax.Awwwww! I'll give you my chocolate milk, too, if you tell me!!!
Sorry - never touch the stuff. It makes you stupid!
Sorry - never touch the stuff. It makes you stupid!How about my cookie?!? Tell me, pleeeeasse!
Sorry, Nightie, but NO - it's not I but YOU who are caught in the lie.
What sort of cookies do you have??
Sorry, Nightie, but NO - it's not I but YOU who are caught in the lie.Lemme guess...you won't tell me what it was.
Bad guess, Nightie ... but you haven't told me what sort of cookie you're offering.
I told you the chocolate milk was a no-go seeing as how it's affected you.
Bad guess, Nightie ... but you haven't told me what sort of cookie you're offering.Whatever comes with the free lunch. So are you going to start telling us all these "lies" and "errors" you can see but no one else can (including your buddies).
I'm surprised at you - thought you knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. That was just a figment of the overactive imagination of one of you Squirrels!
Don't be so rude, Nightie ... tell me about the cookie!
I'm surprised at you - thought you knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. That was just a figment of the overactive imagination of one of you Squirrels! Don't be so rude, Nightie ... tell me about the cookie!Not going to (actually, can't) tell us, are you? Stuck in a lie and can't get out. Too funny.
ROTFLOL! And you're the one claiming we're "attacking"?? Puh-leeze!! LOL!!
The New York Times Bestseller list is out--
PAPERBACK NONFICTION
Top 5 at a Glance
1. NIGHT, by Elie Wiesel
2. IN COLD BLOOD, by Truman Capote
3. THE FAIRTAX BOOK, by Neal Boortz and John Linder
4. THE COVENANT WITH BLACK AMERICA
5. THE TIPPING POINT, by Malcolm Gladwell
The New York Times Bestseller list is out--Wow! What a coincidence! The 3 top debuts for the last 40 years are the top 3 right now! Amazing!
I'm afraid I see it too.
I know - but the Squirrels don't read their own "stuff" enough to see the error. They'd rather just call any FairTax supporters liars.
Now they'll start calling you a liar as well if you don't agree with their nonsense.
The error is overt. It isn't like they can't see it. I'm still wondering why they deny it's there. Well, so be it. These guys love to call us liars. It is the only way they have to justify their miscalculations. I wish they would be as honest as RobFromGeorgia and admit that they are in favor of the current tax system
The error is overt. It isn't like they can't see it. I'm still wondering why they deny it's there. Well, so be it. These guys love to call us liars. It is the only way they have to justify their miscalculations. I wish they would be as honest as RobFromGeorgia and admit that they are in favor of the current tax systemListen. I can't see it (except for a typo or two). Why don't you tell us?
No thanks. It's pigdog's honor. But you guys really shouldn't have hit him so hard. He won this one. LOL.
They never correct their own mountains of falsehoods. They recycle them.
No thanks. It's pigdog's honor. But you guys really shouldn't have hit him so hard. He won this one. LOL.Now "groanup" has a secret! The Admins should change your handle.
Too long! Much too long!!!!
The amount of time Americans spend on taxes is grossly exaggerated.
I don't think so. You have someone else prepare your taxes, don't you?
CA....
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