Posted on 05/10/2015 3:21:22 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson Sunday touted a flat tax plan that he says even the nation’s poor would pay if he’s elected.
Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Carson said it’s "very condescending" to think that poor people can’t pay taxes at the same flat rate as wealthier Americans. Carson said he got the idea for his plan – he calls it a proportional tax – from tithing in the Bible.
Using a 10 percent rate as an example, Carson said "You make $10 billion a year, you pay $1 billion. You make $10 a year, you pay one dollar."
"Now, some people say it’s not fair because, you know, the poor people can’t afford to pay that dollar," Carson, a retired neurosurgeon told Fox News’ Chris Wallace. "That’s very condescending. You know, I grew up very poor. I experienced every economic level. And I can tell you poor people have pride, too. And they don’t want to be just taken care of."
Carson disagreed with calculations that Wallace quoted from the Tax Policy Center that indicated a flat tax would have to be in the 20 percent range in order for the federal government to raise as much revenue as it does now...
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
Carson just lost the black and Hispanic vote right there. For the most part they don’t seem to pay into the system like their white counterparts do. Carson might as well drop any illusions of running for the WH
When my wife and I lived on $195 a month and paid her college tuition, we paid $5 a month in taxes. I didn't object.
And so was Ronald Reagan.
To clarify, I was replying tongue-in-cheek to post number 2. Probably should have included the quote . . . .
On the other hand, millions and millions of people would benefit from paying hundreds of dollars less in taxes every month.
Even Russia has a flat tax now!
Cain’s 9-9-9 was the most brilliant idea I have seen in 50 years.
Since when?
Keep in mind most freepers never ran a business. So their opinions should be taken with a grain of salt.
I agree. Just on a purely modern level, the idea of sending a return to the government on a certain day of the year is antiquated to the nth degree.
Senator Cruz can not propose sound economic ideas. What private sector business has he run?
He’s right - he says the poor have self respect and dignity too and don’t want to be freeloaders and non-participants - paying even a small minimal amount of whatever they earn would help them feel a part of things, might make them be a bit more concerned about how government money is spent, and give them incentive to think a little more about what the government is up to - of course many of the poor don’t feel this way and would have to pay taxes for a year or two before they would start to grasp what was going on.....
How they been doing lately?
And millions more would pay more in taxes every month. What are you going to tell them?
Carson never had the black and Hispanic vote.
The way your question is worded, no I would not.
However if the question is reworded to fit what Carson said, in my particular case, as well as most mid-income Americans, my tax would likely be lowered or remain the same.
Our current tax system just sucks. Many deductions simply should not exist. I know a guy 66 years old with a negative net worth of a couple hundred thousand that pays thousands of dollars in interest every year he brags about deducting. This fellow is in debt because he is a spendahaulic. He brags of collecting 4 huge checks, civil service retirement, military retirement, disability and social security. I would love to see people like this taxed at my rate.
Don't want him for president, but it is also a bit naive to insinuate that his tax plan is bad because it's fair. That's a big concession to the Left and the "progressive" tax system we have today - it's probably a bigger welfare scam than all the other welfare scams combined.
A federal sales tax would be a benefit for the poor. I know for a fact that most poor people buy a lot of their needs used from places like face book and such. Private sale no tax. Wealthier people buy new stuff from the store, tax paid. Leave food as tax exempt. Fire 80% of IRS workers, problem solved.
Running a business does not in and of itself qualify one to propose sound economic policies for the economy in general. One can certainly recognize what regulations are hurting businesses and keeping investments overseas. Cruz certainly inderstands that we need tax reform and for jobs growth, corporate taxes need to be lowered. I think Reagan did a great job on economic growth and he wasn’t known as a businessman. For that matter, few candidates in the race are.
And for many millions more their taxes would go up. How do you expect them to feel about it?
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