[jwalsh07]

People posting these “comparisons” completely ignore the elimination of deductions, both at the corporate and individual income tax level. Individuals lose their child tax credits, their dependent deductions, their marriage penalty deductions, their mortgage interest deductions, their state sales tax deductions, their medical payment deductions.

There are good reasons to oppose Cains plan, as I do, but what you describe here is not one of them. The federal government has no business treating those who choose to remain single, childless or unencumbered by a home mortage any differently than they do those who choose to be married with children with mortgages they can not afford to pay.

What you advocate is a system that chooses winners and losers to buy votes. Same in the corporate world and one of the major problems with a national sales tax is the ability of Congress to tax things they like at lower rates than that which they don't like.

[CharlesWayneCT]

I’m not opposed to elimination of most deductions, including the mortgage deduction (I would oppose eliminating them in one step, but would phase them out over time).

I was simply saying that you have to take that into account when you are comparing total taxes paid before and after the plan takes effect. Everybody defending the plan talks about reducing taxes from 35% to 9%, while ignoring that the 9% tax will apply to a lot more income, because of the loss of deductions.

I do support deductions for marriage and children (in general, deductions for dependents within a legally defined family). Government exists for the common good of society, and has a compelling interest in “guarding the commons”. A stable family unit is the backbone of our society, and without it government as we formed it cannot survive. So setting the tax code so it does not discourage the family unit is a good thing.

The tax code should not favor two unmarried people living together over two married people living together (current code does that, even with the marriage deduction). But the tax code should take into account the cost of the family unit. A person who has to provide for 4 people should pay less in tax than a person who only provides for themselves.

Cain lets people take deductions for charitable contributions. What is more charitable than raising a child who cannot care for themselves? Under the Cain plan, you get no deduction for raising your own kid, but if you put your kid into foster care, and donate money to the foster family to raise your kid, you get a deduction. That is messed up.