Free Republic

<p>Okay so I was driving home from work and was stewing over the whole all the hands up in the air for "We want universal healthcare for illegal aliens"....</p> <p>And then I realized one of those jackass fools said that "Undocumented Migrants pay taxes too...' sort of jackass excuses they use as a flimsy ass justification for their utterly retarded positions....</p>

The evolving by the hour IRS scandal, in which the tax agency targeted conservative groups for examination and harassment, as detailed by the Washington Post, cries out for not only an investigation, but legislation. To be sure an investigation and the punishment of those responsible for politically motivated examinations and audits must happen. But the fact that the IRS did these things at all stems from the fact that someone wanted to target conservative organizations and perhaps people and, thanks to the existence of the IRS, they could. This therefore argues for an overhaul of the tax code that would...

The US Senate on Monday passed a bill aimed at ending tax-free shopping on the internet but the move looks set to face fierce opposition before it becomes law. The Marketplace Fairness Act, which has cross-party supporter and the backing of powerful retailers, would give states the power to require retailers with sales over $1m to collect state and local sales taxes for online purchases.

I’ve done thorough blog posts highlighting the economic benefits of the flat tax, but I find that most people are passionate about tax reform because they view the current system as being unfair and corrupt. They also don’t like the IRS, in part because it has so much arbitrary power to ruin lives.But it’s not just that is has the power to ruin lives. That can be said about the FBI, the DEA, the BATF, and all sorts of other enforcement agencies.What irks people about the IRS is that it has so much power combined with the fact that the...

Bob Martin doesn’t mind paying taxes. As a pharmacist at Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, the Lake Hallie resident said he is paid a good salary and is glad to pay taxes. But, he said: “I shouldn’t have to pay someone $400 to do them.” Martin said the Fair Tax Act of 2011 would change that, revitalize the nation’s economy and spur the creation of thousands of jobs, if not more. The Fair Tax is still a tax, and it wouldn’t affect state income taxes. But instead of paying a federal income and payroll tax, people would pay what...

Last month, Insider Advantage had him leading Romney in the state 29/20. A month later, “He now barely has a heartbeat.” When I saw Perry’s topline number of three percent, I figured the “Ponzi scheme” talk must have sent Florida’s seniors running screaming into the night. Not so. He’s actually doing (marginally) worse with other age demographics in this poll, and in the last poll he did reasonably well with the 65+ crowd, finishing second to Romney in that group with almost 23 percent. That poll was taken on September 13, which was almost a week after Romney started attacking...

I am seeing many posts regarding Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan, many with omissions and errors.

I can’t imagine a true patriot proposing a new tax, a national consumption tax which would tax every necessity of life, in addition to keeping corporate taxes and taxes on the working person’s wage. I also can’t imagine a true patriot proposing a new general tax among the States [Herman’s national sales tax] to feed the beast in Washington, and ignoring the rule of apportioning that tax among the States as required by our founding fathers clear intentions. The rule of apportioning any general tax among the States was adopted by our founders to cure a vicious evil of democracy....

....Of Mr. Cain's many ideas, the most well-known -- in part because of its clever sound-bite name -- is his 9-9-9 plan which aims to replace most current federal taxes (including income tax, death tax, payroll tax, capital gains taxes, and double-taxation of dividends) with a 9% flat tax for business income, a 9% flattax for individual income, and a 9% national salestax. The plan would eliminate almost all deductions. While Mr. Cain's consistent results-oriented approach is admirable -- not least for its contrast with the other candidates -- voters should be wary of the 9-9-9 plan despite its initial...

Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 proposal — a 9 percent personal-income tax, a 9 percent corporate-income tax, and a 9 percent federal sales tax, to replace all current federal taxes — is attractive in many ways. It is not a flat tax, but it is a flattish tax; it eliminates some (but by no means all) of the divide-and-conquer features of the federal tax code; it simplifies taxes for most households and many businesses; it might reduce compliance costs. All to the good. A few things should be understood about the 9-9-9 plan. The first is that 9-9-9 is not Herman Cain’s...

Could a national sales tax help fix the deficit and gain enough political support to break the stalemate in the nation's capital? Yahoo! reader Brad Sylvester believes it could. Following a contentious midterm election, some 81 percent of respondents to a recent ABC News/Yahoo! News poll said they expect partisan warfare and inaction to continue over the next two years. ... There are plenty of ideas on how to return the government to fiscal responsibility. ... Many Republicans refuse to consider any tax hikes at all. And many liberal Democrats — who, ironically, may have even more power in the...

The reason why elites in Washington would look to a VAT before increasing income taxes is because not enough of the population even pays income taxes to make it worthwhile for the government to use the income tax structure to balance the budget. According to the Tax Policy Center, only about 47 percent of Americans will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009. The government can extract the most amount of your wealth from a national sales tax (VAT) and Volker’s statement yesterday evidences a will on the part of this Administration to start the fear mongering process...

VAT chance! Republicans yesterday accused President Obama of plotting to slap a hefty new European-style "value added tax" on Americans after one of his top advisers raised the idea. "To make up for the largest levels of spending and deficits in modern history, the administration is laying the foundation for a large, misguided new tax, a first-time American VAT," fumed Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the top GOPer on the Senate Finance Committee. "If the president wants to add completely new layers of taxation, then he should take this issue before the American people when he runs for re-election." Paul Volcker,...

To raise additional money for the government, just 18% of Americans nationwide favor a national sales tax. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 68% oppose such a tax. There is more support for the concept if sales tax revenue is used to provide health insurance for all Americans. In that scenario, 40% favor a national sales tax and 49% are opposed. Democrats strongly support a national sales tax to provide universal health insurance coverage. Republicans are opposed by a three-to-one margin, and those not affiliated with either major party are opposed two-to-one. A plurality of Americans would...

As lawmakers toy with the idea of an across-the-board sales tax on just about everything, tax reform advocates are starting to drum up opposition with the same fervor they employed during last month's anti-tax tea parties. The idea of a national sales tax was once unlikely. But now that the federal government is doling out billions in stimulus spending and bailouts, and looking for billions more for health care reform, the prospect could be gaining some traction.

Levy Viewed as Way to Reduce Deficits, Fund Health Reform 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.

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...

You Can Help Save the Nation For Tax Day 2009, we're collecting names to send a message to President Obama about the FairTax, the real stimulus package America needs now more than never. You can make a difference by raising your voice for the FairTax during this critical time for our country. Help us send a powerful message to the White House: Read the "Save the Nation" petition to the right and add your name below.

FAIRTAX CALCULATOR www.fairtaxcalculator.org Do you have questions on what FairTax will cost your family? Have doubts about it's progressiveness? Worried it will place an unfair burden on the poor, the middle class, the young or the seniors? Time to put the hype aside and stop listening to all the spin. Why not just find out exactly what FairTax will mean to your own personal bottom line? It's easy. Just go to the FairTax Calculator, input your gross income. Approximate your 8 "fair tax deductions" which represent your yearly tax free spending. Give your family size to determine your "monthly prebate"....

By Dave Williams Staff Writer dave.williams@gwinnettdailypost.com DULUTH - U.S. Rep. John Linder has said for years that only a groundswell among the American people will convince Congress to scrap the Internal Revenue Service and replace it with a national sales tax. Wednesday night's rally at a jammed Gwinnett Convention Center in support of Linder's FairTax bill looked a lot like the popular uprising the Duluth Republican has envisioned since he introduced what has become his signature legislation in 1999. "The grass roots are working,'' said Joseph Gullett of Norcross, motioning to more than 100 people gathered outside the convention center...