Many conservatives on FR oppose such a tax.. Why?
I think property taxes need to be addressed first.
Well obviously the kongress kritters are dragging their feet on it. I propose a tax revolt. Refuse to pay their damned taxes, and see how fast that they listen to the people then.
This was the one clinker in the list.
Fifth Amendment protections apply only to criminal cases. Almost all tax cases are civil cases (failure to pay a debt has always been considered a tort as opposed to a crime). One cannot be held to criminal court for an accurately filled-out tax form, even if the monies in question are the proceeds of illegal activities. (We actually had a case against a fence thrown out when I was a cop because we only his tax returns as evidence. D'OH!)
I have seen tax returns filled out by drug dealers, fences, and bookies. Some of them are actually pretty funny when it comes to "type of employment."
Drug dealer's employment: "Pharmaceutical Industry"
Fence: "Retail Goods."
Bookie: "Sports Forecasting & Consulting."
Thanks tp.
If anyone would like to be added to this ping list let me know.
"The simplest system of taxation yet adopted is that of levying on the land and the laborer. But it would be better to levy the same sums on the produce of that labor when collected in the barn of the farmer; because then if through the badness of the year he made little, he would pay little. It would be better yet to levy it only on the surplus of this produce above his own wants. It would be better, too, to levy it, not in his hands, but in those of the purchaser; because though the farmer would in fact pay it, as the purchaser must deduct it from the original price of his produce yet the farmer would not be sensible that he paid it... What a comfort to the farmer to be allowed to supply his own wants before he should be liable to pay anything, and then to pay only out of his surplus."
Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1784. Papers 7:558
John Linder in the House(HR25) & Saxby Chambliss Senate(S25) offer a comprehensive bill to kill all federal income, SS/Medicare payroll, and gift/estate taxes outright replacing them with with a national retail sales tax administered by the states.
H.R.25,S.25
A bill to promote freedom, fairness, and economic opportunity by repealing the income tax and other taxes, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, and enacting a national retail sales tax to be administered primarily by the States.Refer for additional information:
That's a great list.
Wonderful, informative post.
And we have not come very far in the last 230 years have we?
The income tax is income redistribution and confiscation of private property.
It is communism-lite.
Ping for later
In many cases the IRS figures you rather pay your, say $50,000 (or whatever) to them that to gamble on paying the legal fees additionally as well.
Works for them.
This, and filling the pockets of politicians and their cronies, is what taxes are all about. Control of the masses.
This is great stuff, tpaine. Thanks for the post.
with a fair and consumption-based tax. Many conservatives on FR oppose such a tax.. Why?Because it's being sold with deception, half-truths and outright lies....Why is that?
How can they tax stuff you OWN?... Answer; they can't..
The american public is in gross denial..
I, for one, have made past arrangements that were due to a calculation based upon the federal tax free nature of certain income in that arrangement. Changing that equation would cost my future stream of income a substantial amount of money.
Also, the after tax savings that I've accumulated over my lifetime (I'm very near retirement now) would see an immediate and drastic reduction in real value, due to the change in paying tax on income vs. paying tax on spending.
If the change would make provision for the lost value of savings, and the tax policy inducement to accept a tax free stream of income over a greater taxable stream of income (tax free municipal bonds for instance), it might be a "fair tax." Without provisions like that, it would be highway robbery of people so situated.
Ping
Tariffs are Constitutional. Income and consumption taxes were never meant to be collected to fund the government under our constitutional system.
Bermuda has no IRS. No income taxes. The taxes are all excise taxes, gas is $7.00, and to bring in a car, will cost if I heard correctly 100% the price of the car. Could be wrong. Tourism is #3 for bermuda. Banking is #1.