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WHY THE FAIRTAX WON'T WORK
NCPA ^ | 2/15/2008 | NCAP staff

Posted on 02/16/2008 3:30:21 PM PST by xcamel

One solution to the nation's long-term fiscal problems that has gained support in recent years is the idea of replacing all federal taxes with a 23 percent national retail sales tax called the FairTax. Unfortunately, the administrative problems inherent in this proposal make it impossible to take seriously, says Bruce Bartlett, former deputy assistant secretary for economic policy at the U.S. Treasury Department.

For example, under a FairTax scheme: A worker now netting $800 per week would immediately get a $200 raise and start taking home the full $1,000 gross wage that he is paid; instead of paying income and payroll taxes, workers would pay their taxes when they buy things.
The FairTax would impose a 23 percent tax on all goods and services (this is not really correct, but for now we'll accept it at face value for analytical purposes).

Whether he is better off or not depends on what his effective tax rate is: Assuming he spends all his income and no more than that, he will be no worse off if he now pays 23 percent of his income in taxes. That is, his effective tax rate is 23 percent; in this case, the FairTax is a wash, the worker is no better off or worse off in terms of taxes than he is now.

But what if the worker is now paying less than 23 percent of his income in federal taxes? In this case, he is clearly worse off, says Bartlett: The prices of the things he buys will rise by more than his income rises from the elimination of income and payroll taxes. Conversely, if one is wealthy and in a tax bracket above 23 percent, that person would be much better off. His income and payroll taxes would fall by much more than the prices of goods and services he consumes would rise.

Source: Bruce Bartlett, "Why the FairTax Won't Work," Tax Notes, December 24, 2007.

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TOPICS: Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: fairtax; tax; taxreform
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To: Mojave
Yes, let's add a right to a monthly entitlement check to the Bill of Rights.

SO EXACTLY WHAT IS Earned Income Tax Credit NOW??????

And how does your comment relate to the trashing of the 4 and 5th amendments which occurs when you are required to set out your income status and swear it's veracity under penalty of perjury? Or the use of the tax system to reward lobbying and punish political enemies?

your comment is entirely ridiculous and could be compared as equivalent to a comment made by a yapping little fool. Or perhaps it is disingenuous and you might be a Communist dupe...

281 posted on 02/16/2008 10:04:13 PM PST by no-s
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To: Cracker Jack
Then the IRS rate calculated the same way is also 30% of what's left after taxes.
"30% of what's left after taxes"?...Does that really make any sense to you?...Really?
282 posted on 02/16/2008 10:06:20 PM PST by lewislynn (What does the global warming movement and the Fairtax movement have in common? Disinformation)
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To: FreePoster
If you pay 30 cents on $1.00, this is equivalent to a 23% payroll tax.

Then where will the additional monthly entitlement payments come from? We're not getting them now.

283 posted on 02/16/2008 10:07:15 PM PST by Mojave
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To: no-s
SO EXACTLY WHAT IS Earned Income Tax Credit NOW??????

It's not a universal entitlement.

284 posted on 02/16/2008 10:08:44 PM PST by Mojave
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To: lucysmom
If it is true that "you get less of what you tax", then what would one expect the effect of the FairTax to be on an economy based on consumption?

More welfare, more poverty.

285 posted on 02/16/2008 10:10:10 PM PST by Mojave
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To: Cracker Jack; Mojave
The 30% rate (as you insist) is adequate to cover the cost of the prebate.
And the 23% embedded taxes, and the personal income tax, and the personal payroll tax, not to mention the death tax, the gift tax etc.?
286 posted on 02/16/2008 10:13:03 PM PST by lewislynn (What does the global warming movement and the Fairtax movement have in common? Disinformation)
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To: Cracker Jack
The FairTax, AFTER paying the prebate, results in a net tax to the Feds equal to what is now collected.

So the Fair tax would be higher than the income tax, but will involve more welfare payments to compensate.

Less taxation by higher taxation, less socialism by more socialism.

Orwellian.

287 posted on 02/16/2008 10:13:06 PM PST by Mojave
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To: Tramonto
Why don’t you humor me and just answer the question.

Why don't you humor me and ask an honest question without false planted assumptions in it?

288 posted on 02/16/2008 10:14:49 PM PST by Mojave
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To: Onelifetogive
Not yet...
Oh yes it is. It is if you don't declare it as income.
289 posted on 02/16/2008 10:15:15 PM PST by lewislynn (What does the global warming movement and the Fairtax movement have in common? Disinformation)
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To: Cracker Jack
And your reference for this allegation is:
HR25 The Fairtax Act. Education expenses and used products are the only exemptions from the tax....Read it sometime.
290 posted on 02/16/2008 10:20:15 PM PST by lewislynn (What does the global warming movement and the Fairtax movement have in common? Disinformation)
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To: lewislynn
Education expenses and used products are the only exemptions from the tax...

Enroll in our one hour driving safety course. The price of instruction includes a new car!

291 posted on 02/16/2008 10:25:03 PM PST by Mojave
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To: lewislynn
That isn't math or logic. 11500 is 30% of 38500...so what? What happened to the $50,000?

Its just an apples to apples comparison for a '30%' Fair Tax as opposed to the 23% version.

If the Fair Tax ever becomes law, it would be good to report it using the traditional sales tax method because it will make people want to pay less. For comparative purposes though, the 23% version is more accurate.

292 posted on 02/16/2008 10:33:50 PM PST by Tramonto (Huckabee Fair Tax Huckabee Fair Tax Huckabee Fair Tax)
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To: Cracker Jack; Mojave
believe the term is "revenue neutral", not "bring in the same amount of money". The FairTax, AFTER paying the prebate, results in a net tax to the Feds equal to what is now collected.
IOW, more has to be collected to pay the (GAG!) "prebate" than is collected now...I know that must be true because AFFT has a graph that shows more money paid out for negative taxes under the Fairtax than even the EITC.
293 posted on 02/16/2008 10:35:57 PM PST by lewislynn (What does the global warming movement and the Fairtax movement have in common? Disinformation)
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To: Mojave
Why don't you humor me and ask an honest question without false planted assumptions in it?

The false assumption being that you spend all your money on taxable goods and services? Ok, but you have to help me formulate the question then. What percentage of you income do you spend on items that would be taxable under the Fair Tax?

294 posted on 02/16/2008 10:38:21 PM PST by Tramonto (Huckabee Fair Tax Huckabee Fair Tax Huckabee Fair Tax)
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To: lewislynn
IOW, more has to be collected to pay the (GAG!) "prebate" than is collected now...

So the fake 23% rate is doubly false.

295 posted on 02/16/2008 10:39:52 PM PST by Mojave
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To: Tramonto
Ok, but you have to help me formulate the question then.

You "fair" taxers are just full of entitlement demands.

296 posted on 02/16/2008 10:40:52 PM PST by Mojave
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To: Normal4me
Will you still be against the Fair Tax when Obama raises your taxes to 70%?

There's the rub. A Republican won't always be in charge of the FT number. Or, if current events serve notice, a Conservative Republican won't alway be in control of that number. Also, if the 16th Amendment isn't repealed, we could end up with both an Income Tax and a Sales Tax. The Dems would cream over that.

297 posted on 02/16/2008 10:40:53 PM PST by Republic of Texas (Socialism Always Fails)
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To: Tramonto
Its just an apples to apples comparison
No it isn't. It isn't anything and doesn't compare to anything.
If the Fair Tax ever becomes law, it would be good to report it using the traditional sales tax method because it will make people want to pay less.
Oh right, but first we have to trick them, even lie to them, use fraudulent math, then, when after it passes, we can be honest about it...

Got it.

298 posted on 02/16/2008 10:47:20 PM PST by lewislynn (What does the global warming movement and the Fairtax movement have in common? Disinformation)
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To: Mojave

Ok, so you won’t answer a simple math question because it uses the assumption that 100% of income is spent on taxable items. Since you wouldn’t spend all your income on taxable goods and services you think the question is unfair. LOL

Are you just joking around? Why should anyone take anything you write seriously when you make such absurd excuses to not answer a simple question?

BTW, which candidate did/do you support?


299 posted on 02/16/2008 10:52:17 PM PST by Tramonto (Huckabee Fair Tax Huckabee Fair Tax Huckabee Fair Tax)
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To: lewislynn

Its not a matter of tricking them, its a matter of making an accurate apples to apples comparison between a sales tax and an income tax.


300 posted on 02/16/2008 10:56:09 PM PST by Tramonto (Huckabee Fair Tax Huckabee Fair Tax Huckabee Fair Tax)
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