Posted on 12/24/2007 7:55:05 AM PST by Alex Murphy
WASHINGTON — Mike Huckabee, one of the most conservative Republicans in the 2008 presidential race, has embraced one of the most radical ideas on the campaign trail: a plan to abolish all federal income and payroll taxes and replace them with a single 23% national sales tax.
The idea -- dubbed the "fair tax" by proponents -- has been a political asset for Huckabee; its well-organized backers have helped catapult him from the back of the presidential pack to its top tier.
Sales tax proponents have tapped into seething voter hostility toward the Internal Revenue Service to become a below-the-radar political force, popping up at campaign events and candidate forums in Iowa and elsewhere.
The efforts on Huckabee's behalf by sales tax advocates helped spur his surprise second-place showing in an August Iowa straw poll -- the breakthrough that marked the beginning of his rise in the state and nationwide.
He is the only major presidential candidate to make the idea central to his campaign. "The first thing I'd love to do as president: Put a 'going out of business' sign on the Internal Revenue Service," he said at one debate.
Some wonder, however, whether his embrace of the plan eventually could turn into a liability.
The sales tax proposal has been around for years but languished on the fringes of practical politics and policy. Tax professionals generally regard the idea as impractical, regressive and even "crackpot," as one critic puts it.
It has gone nowhere in Congress. The 2005 Presidential Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform soundly rejected the idea. And many politicians shy away from it because it is easy for opponents to portray it as a huge tax increase -- as Democrats did in a 2006 Senate race in South Carolina.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Is your income not currently being taxed?!
No forms. No accountants. No lawyers. No IRS. No overhead. People have no clue how much of all this crap sucks strength out of the economy. Tax accountants and lawyers produce NOTHING. They’re blood-suckers.
I believe they would. When 97% of Federal Income Taxes are paid by half the population? And they didn't revolt over a top tax rate of 70% in 1980?
This in particular is a reason that no action is taken - not everyone [in fact about half] pays taxes. I'd like to see everyone pay taxes.... and pay the same marginal rate.
Yes it is, and in spite of the FTers’ assurances that income taxes would be eliminated under the FT, my business income would, in effect, be taxed in addition to the 30% FT I would be paying for all retail purchases I would make.
This ‘reporter’ is so full of BS, it reminds me of Clinton’s hidden army in the media.
Mike Huckabee, one of the most conservative Republicans in the 2008 presidential race -— what?!
The writer of this article doesn’t have a clue about the platform of conservative Republicans.
Huckabee is a liberal democrat in a pro-life dancing suit.
He is the Elmer Gantry (sans the sex and booz) of the 21st century.
Check out this article from Politco and notice how he is seducing and guilt-tripping the Iowan evangelicals into voting for him.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7544.html
Huckabee: All fluff - no substance.
That is true! Most of them don't!
That is actually an unfair tax. It's like going to the auto dealer and discovering the price of a car is 1.3% of your annual salary. The vehicle is more expensive for some than for others.
A truly fair tax would be either a flat amount (not a flat rate) perhaps combined with a use-based tax. As you use a government service you pay for it. Those services that are common to all would be fully funded from the flat tax amount.
And now comes the arguement..are taxes on income constitutional?
This past year, a lawyer (I believe it was in Ten) won a CIVIL court case brought against him by the tresury dept, on his failure to pay income taxes. He owed about 60 grand in back taxes. All he did was challenge the plaintiffs asking them to show where the law is that states he HAS to pay income taxes. They couldnt, and when asked about it, the treasury dept declined to comment.
BTW. the lawyer said in court that if they could show him the “LAW” he would gladly pay his back taxes as well as all interest and penalties.
There are quite a few cases like this that were won. But you and I could not afford to fight the government and that is the weight they hold over our heads...And so, Freedom from Fear is dead.
Repealing the 16th first is not only not necessary - it’s not even a political possibility since if you’ll stop to think about it you’d be asking politicians to eliminate their method of raising government revenue before having any other practical method in place.
Surely you don’t realistically expect any pol - no matter his party or political leaning - to so opvertly ask to be ushered out of office by his voting for financial chaos.
And I note that all of the FairTax anti (groups and individuals) side of things ALWAYS use the idea of a 23% (or 30%) additional tax on EVERYTHING. That’s pure demagoguery (to use the polite term) since the FairTax is not applied to everything nor is the rate 30% or even 23%. That’s the marginal rate just as your income tax bracket may be 28, 33, or 35% but your effective income tax rate is much much lower. These “anti” propagandists actually know that but prefer to mislead by pretending the marginal Fairtax rate (23%) rate is the effective rate. By using one of the FairTax rate calculators (or reading the bill) you could see that there are many things untaxed and the effective tax rate is typically much lower for you than it is at present.
I’ve done this and my effective rate is almost half of what it is under the income tax. That will probably be true for most of you unless you fall for the misinformation the anti crowd spews constantly. They have reasons for preferring tax systems as at present, obviously. Make your own comparison - and do it honestly since there are many things you are not taxed on under the FairTax.
In addition, keep in mind that the 20 million or so illegal aliens, drug dealers, etc. will now be paying taxes on their consumption - when at present they pay almost (or completely) nothing.
Yeah, services get nailed as bad as retirees. It is a 23% gross income tax for service providers.
We’ll wind up with both - income taxes and a 23% sales tax.
“On this tax the poorer you are the worse it hurts.”
Income tax is on income not wealth. The vast majority of taxes are paid by a few. That is what is not fair. Taxes should be flat.
No, it’s that intelligent people are on to your little scam/pipe dream...
Everybody needs to pay some tax.
ROFLOL!!!
I cannot believe that freepers could possibly be so gullible.
Can I sell you a bridge in New York?
THIS IS ONE THING I AGREE WITH HUCKABEE ON: Repalce the Income Tax with a 23% National Sales Tax (known as the Fair Tax).
This is the only fair way to eliminate the IRS and the income tax system. Everybody pays their fair share. The ghetto kids, whose mamaS pay no taxes, pay their fair share when they buy the $175 Raiders Jacket and the $125 Michael Jordan tennis shoes.
FAIR TAX!!! YES! YES! YES!
If you define a tomato as a tomato, than it is 30%. If you play shell games and mislead people with confusing terms, it is 23%. It is pretty sad when most fairtax advocates I have encountered can't even calculate the tax correctly.
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