Posted on 05/27/2009 5:38:44 AM PDT by GreaterSwiss
With budget deficits soaring and President Obama pushing a trillion-dollar-plus expansion of health coverage, some Washington policymakers are taking a fresh look at a money-making idea long considered politically taboo: a national sales tax.
Common around the world, including in Europe, such a tax -- called a value-added tax, or VAT -- has not been seriously considered in the United States. But advocates say few other options can generate the kind of money the nation will need to avert fiscal calamity.
At a White House conference earlier this year on the government's budget problems, a roomful of tax experts pleaded with Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner to consider a VAT. A recent flurry of books and papers on the subject is attracting genuine, if furtive, interest in Congress. And last month, after wrestling with the White House over the massive deficits projected under Obama's policies, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee declared that a VAT should be part of the debate.
"There is a growing awareness of the need for fundamental tax reform," Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said in an interview. "I think a VAT and a high-end income tax have got to be on the table."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Let’s see... those !@(#*!(! !@(#*!(@’s in Washington (on BOTH sides) spend OUR money wildly, and then come crying to us because they’re out of money to waste – actually, they’re not crying to us, they’re complaining because we’re not paying out ENOUGH to suit them when we’ve ALREADY had every possible penny squeezed out of us...
They can take their “value added tax” and shove it.
I guess that 95% of us have nothing to worry about, right?
Unfortunately this also led to many of the people being eligible for some type of government aid as on paper their income looked lower than it really was.
And unless the 16th amendment is repealed and income taxes are ended, I'd oppose either a VAT or straight retail sales tax such as the Fair Tax.
Watch out for the political hacks who will try to just slip a sales tax on top of the income tax.
I don’t get this. Obama and the Dems. have pumped up spending to unheard of levels. Then, they are saying that 95% of taxpayers will get a tax cut, plus, we’re adding a brand new tax which is like a sales tax????????
Sales taxes are among the most regressive taxes, in that they hit lower income people the hardest. So is Obama telling the truth the way Clinton used to tell the truth, meaning it’s true that most people will pay less income tax, but he’s not telling how much more in this new sales tax they will pay?????????
I thought the whole point of the fair tax or possible VAT taxes was that it would be paired with elimination of the income tax. I thought the way this was discussed in recent years was that we would change the tax system in this way, NOT end up paying both an income tax and a VAT tax.
Does Obama want to see bigger tea parties? Then I forgot, Obama wasn’t aware that the tea parties were going on. And the MSM people didn’t know what the tea parties message was all about. They thought they were all just pissed off in general terms, not over any specific issue.
Better yet, I see them in the very near future changing to say that 95% will get a tax CREDIT.
States could be convinced to goo along with it because it would result in a de-facto expansion of State power, which we can then check like we check California, and New York who have excessive taxes.(we leave)
The bottom line is the Federal governments taxing capability has to be severity curtailed. once we have done that we can manage the states in a kind of “Free Market of States Governments”.
We have to restore the republic and the key to doing that is restoring federalism by empowering Our states politicians to do what political do best, expand their power at the expense of the feds.
I think that is what we all should be working on as it bypasses the self-serving federal government and stop trying to make the politicians that run that government do what will always be against their interest. Instead we restore the competition that was meant to keep the federal government in check.
I wonder if they honestly think this is a good idea. I mean really. Not even Keynes thought you should raise taxes during a recession...
3 years, 238 days to go.
I think Obama must believe in many of Machiavelli's principles, such as:
The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present
>and forcing the states to increase their income/property/sales/gas taxes
“Forcing” the states will not work - Even the states can’t do that for long.
Other than that, I agree
Definitely. And O will want it “IN ADDITION TO” the income tax, not INSTEAD OF as some conservatives have recommended.
Commissar Obama is attempting to co-opt the Fair Tax movement. He will attempt to confuse people with a VAT vs the Fair Tax claiming they are one in the same. This idea leaves out the most essential part of the Fair Tax, repeal of the 16th amendment
Bring it on. We need more people to join the TEA Party movement.
Yeah, I forgot about the farm qualification in Texas. That’s pretty neat. Although someone with a tract type home wouldn’t be able to do it. We had about an acre and just getting some goats would’ve given us a tax break. If we had stayed longer, we probably would’ve done it.
Where are people moving from? I knew of a lot of snowbirds that moved to Corpus seasonally, but that was based on the gorgeous winters we had, not the taxes ;)
Seems they are moving from northeastern states in large numbers and smaller numbers from other states. WE just sold a house and 10 acres to a couple from Pa. They own a business and will be moving it here later, putting in a office right away with plans to move all here soon. They will be horse farming!!! WE are out in the boonies and love it. Three family members have jobs in the nearest city and we have a cattle farm.
The Democrats are drunk with power.
What do you expect?
Hopefully they will misstep and incite a massive tax revolt.
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