Supposedly, this was in the plan from the beginning.
There are also many exemptions for businesses and people working and/or living in "deprived" places like DETROIT! Ergo, the 9-9-9plan is NOT for everyone. And as far as I can tell, welfare and SSI payments will be exempt as well.
This plan has ALWAYS stunk on ice! Cain appears to neither know what is in it and is incapable of explaining it clearly, not to mention the fact that it does keep on changing. Thrown in the fact that presidents do NOT write tax laws ( so it has to originate in the House, get passed there, then get sent to the Senate, revised and passed there, sent back to the House, etc., before it gets to the desk of the president !), so throw out his claim that he will write it so that 2/3 of Congress has to vote before raising the taxes crapola.....that won't ever see the light of day;much less the plan as now stated!
And FWIW............the level at which "poverty level" is set, keeps on going up and up and up.