Fundamental Tax Reform Is Now Unstoppable

Forbes ^ | Oct. 26, 2011 | Louis Woodhill

[fightinJAG]

With Rick Perry’s call for a 20% Flat Tax, the movement for fundamental, pro-growth tax reform became unstoppable. Perry, Herman Cain, and Mitt Romney are now the only viable candidates for the Republican presidential nomination remaining. With both Cain and Perry now offering dramatic pro-growth tax reform proposals, Romney will either jump on the tax reform bandwagon or be left in the dust (or possibly both).

The only pro-growth tax cuts in Romney’s 59-point economic plan are a reduction in the corporate income tax rate to 25% (from 35% today) and the elimination of the death tax. However, both Perry and Cain are similarly calling for repeal of the death tax. Also, Perry’s plan would cut the corporate income tax rate to 20%, and Cain’s plan would reduce it to the equivalent of 9%.

[Utmost Certainty]

Right on. 999 is infinitely better than the Perry Flat Tax.

[fightinJAG]

Everything has its tipping point and we are there as far as the present tax code is concerned.

[fightinJAG]

So the author concluded as well, interestingly enough.

Also found this observation of his interesting:

Accordingly, what the electorate is listening for right now is the candidates’ level of commitment to major pro-growth economic policy reforms, and a sense of how they view the world and make decisions. The voters are not particularly concerned about the details of any particular plan, because they know that the plans being offered on the campaign trail are not what will emerge from Congress.

He goes on to make once criticism of how Cain is selling his plan presently, but says 999 is the fastest, biggest way to juice the economy.

Of course, I also like 999 because, unlike the Perry plan, it broadens the tax base, which is extremely critical at this point in history if we are to preserve our freedom.

[wjcsux]

Anytime I hear a pundit giving yet another reason why Romney won’t get the nomination, I like it.
Me too. Mittens would be Zero Lite if he were elected.

[doc1019]

The IRS, one of the largest bureaucracies in the US, will not go away without a struggle. They will relentlessly pursue all that they perceive as an enemy.

[fightinJAG]

I understand the sentiment. But they’ll go away if they don’t get paid.

[fightinJAG]

So this guy says Mittens is likely going to go bust because he failed to realize this was the year for major tax reform.

Ya snooze, ya lose!

[wjcsux]

Of course, I also like 999 because, unlike the Perry plan, it broadens the tax base, which is extremely critical at this point in history if we are to preserve our freedom.
Exactly! We have a lot of bottom feeders (almost half the population) that aren't paying anything. Ihe Earned Income Tax Credit needs to be flushed down the crapper too.

[RIghtwardHo]

Exactly. The IRS won’t permit it.

[txhurl]

But I just don’t know that we really gain all that much by not just going for it.

---

Oh, we need to be going for it. Just a little bit more under the radar. Taking it national (letting the LSM use it as a weapon against us) is pointless: business who would benefit from reform already know who stands where, and conservatives
discussing it are learning.

Just saying it’s a suicide platform if it appears to get real legs.

Probably just being overly cautious here... We need to get Johnny democrat excited about a new job first.

[RobbyS]

I’m voting for any candidate who brings on Thomas Sowell to vouch for him. Lord, what a bright guy. But as he says saves, he found himself in the right place at the right time: In NYC when its schools were the best in the world. The liberals have ruined the public schools and tried to drive the Catholic schools out of business. Talk about the Taliban!

[Cobra64]

This is simply not true, Newt is in the hunt too and his flat tax plan is only 15%.

I agree, but there are many FReepers who keep reminding us, ad nauseum: "Gingrich has too much baggage."

They sound like this guy:

[fightinJAG]

I agree with you there are political obstacles. Always will be to any kind of entitlement reform — and that’s really what Cain’s 999 plan is.

It addresses the fact that about 49% of our population is, by law, “entitled” to not pay any federal taxes.

Ironic, but, as I said, Obama and the Dems have already tried to “scare” these people so badly, for so long, that you have to wonder if people started telling them “oooohhh, the Republicans are going to make you pay taxes” if it would have any more effect than when they were lying about stuff.

I guess the real answer here is “too late.” The cat is out of the bag. Now we MUST take it to the house — the White House!

[antceecee]

Tax reform is inevitable... I credit the T(axed) E(nough) A(lready) PARTY! Rock on TEA Party!

[fightinJAG]

This is why I say the Cain plan is not only tax reform, it’s also entitlement reform! It’s reforming the “I’m entitled to not pay taxes” handout.

Of course, it’s despicable then that people such as Michele Bachmann and other conservatives play the Libs’ tiny violin by wailing “it hurts the poor the most.”

Well, golly. How in the world will we ever pass ANY entitlement reform if people in our own party chime in on the most myopic canard ever, that “it hurts the poor the most”?

You know what helps the poor? What helps everyone else: freedom and pro-growth economic policies.

[fightinJAG]

My sense is there are very few who are basing their view of Gingrich and his chances *strictly* on his “baggage.”

I think it’s more that that that is all wrapped up with his tendency to be mercurial and to be so esoteric that he steps in it. As he did, inexplicably, with his mini-rant about Paul Ryan’s budget being “right-wing social engineering” and his initial tip-toeing about Obamacare and the individual mandate.

His positions probably could have been expressed in a way that was non-offensive to conservatives, but he didn’t go that route. It was just a reminded that a lot of times Gingrich has his head in the Ivory Tower and doesn’t pick up important clues from the conservative zeitgeist.

Could he come back? Sure.

[fightinJAG]

YES! Now this is the kind of optimism I absolutely love.

And this is indeed all due to the Taxed Enough Party.

This is why the pundits just can’t figure out what’s going on with the GOP field this cycle.

It’s the first Tea Party election, duh.

[Utmost Certainty]

He goes on to make once criticism of how Cain is selling his plan presently, but says 999 is the fastest, biggest way to juice the economy.

Yeah, Cain is doing a poor job of selling it IMO. Which is a damn shame, because it really is a phenomenal tax plan.

[Cobra64]

Dear Lord but they have such a magical understanding of what wealth is! Like it comes out of a bottle in the form of a genie.

I consider wealth a relative term of Net Worth, not Income.

[fightinJAG]

I hope they’ll get their act together on this.

The way I look at it is: I’m not discouraged because it’s early, and this is an excellent time for all the shiite to hit the fan, for the Cain campaign to figure out what the sticking points are and to figure out how to address them, for the initial shock of major reform and new (to some) ideas to sink in and recede a little before we really have to get down to political business.

And all this is happening before the LSM is fully engaged.

Also I think it’s been an excellent time for the grassroots to debate and learn the arguments for and against the plan. We’re going to have to help Cain sell it and this process has been invaluable.