[basil]

How many years did we kick around the idea of a “fair tax”? As I understood that, everyone paid the same percentage of their income—whatever it was.

That still seems to me to be the most equitable/efficient way of taxing the population. No long forms to file, no deductions, no lawyers, just pay a percentage of your income that everyone else pays.

This would still be taxing the rich more, as the more you earn, the more you pay, but you pay the same percentage as everyone else.

[Myrddin]

You have confused the "flat tax" with the "fair tax". The "flat tax" is a fixed percentage of EARNED INCOME. The "fair tax" is a fixed percentage of NEW items CONSUMED. The truly "wealthy" would still be skirting the flat tax because much of their income is PASSIVE i.e. rents, royalties, interest and equity appreciation. The fair tax hits everyone who purchases something new. Wealthy and poor alike pay a fixed sales tax with the fair tax. The defect in the proposed "fair tax" scheme is an attempt to redistribute the wealth by sending a "rebate check" of the amount of taxes that are estimated to apply to "basic needs". The "fair tax" also makes every merchant of new goods a federal tax collector.

[okie01]

How many years did we kick around the idea of a “fair tax”? As I understood that, everyone paid the same percentage of their income—whatever it was.

That would be the "flat tax" -- where everyody pays the same percentage of their income (without any deductions).

The "fair tax" is a national sales tax -- which would replace the income tax.