Posted on 08/01/2004 6:08:53 PM PDT by NeoCaveman
A domestic centerpiece of the Bush/GOP agenda for a second Bush term is getting rid of the Internal Revenue Service, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.
The Speaker of the House will push for replacing the nation's current tax system with a national sales tax or a value added tax, Hill sources tell DRUDGE.
"People ask me if I’m really calling for the elimination of the IRS, and I say I think that’s a great thing to do for future generations of Americans," Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert explains in his new book, to be released on Wednesday.
"Pushing reform legislation will be difficult. Change of any sort seldom comes easy. But these changes are critical to our economic vitality and our economic security abroad," Hastert declares in SPEAKER: LESSONS FROM FORTY YEARS IN COACHING AND POLITICS.
"“If you own property, stock, or, say, one hundred acres of farmland and tax time is approaching, you don’t want to make a mistake, so you’re almost obliged to go to a certified public accountant, tax preparer, or tax attorney to help you file a correct return. That costs a lot of money. Now multiply the amount you have to pay by the total number of people who are in the same boat. You can’t. No one can because precise numbers don’t exist. But we can stipulate that we’re talking about a huge amount. Now consider that a flat tax, national sales tax, or VAT would not only eliminate the need to do this, it could also eliminate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) itself and make the process of paying taxes much easier."
"By adopting a VAT, sales tax, or some other alternative, we could begin to change productivity. If you can do that, you can change gross national product and start growing the economy. You could double the economy over the next fifteen years. All of a sudden, the problem of what future generations owe in Social Security and Medicare won’t be so daunting anymore. The answer is to grow the economy, and the key to doing that is making sure we have a tax system that attracts capital and builds incentives to keep it here instead of forcing it out to other nations."
They need a VAT to pay for all the free sh*t they've been giving away, starting with the incredibly idiotic free drugs.
No way on the planet will Congress give up the IRS-that's how most of them get rich. But they can and will ADD a VAT if they can get away with it.
Repeal the 16th amendment and institute a NSRT along with state tax reform.
"I'm really disappointed to see so many Freepers getting excited over this. Rather than wasting our efforts trying changing the way taxes are collected, I'd much rather see Bush and the GOP put their efforts into actually REDUCING the size of the bloated federal budget...shrink government down first, then start making real tax reductions."
You want tax relief? Under the current system, Americans spend more than $200 Billion per year on compliance costs. It inflates the price of everything produced in this country and is a total waste. It does not produce a single thing of benefit. Virtually all of that can be saved.
What do you think the chances are of Bush proposing a $200 billion/year tax reduction? Even the most far left wacko would be hard pressed to defend that aspect of the current system.
"A source saying Hastert will push for it (or did I miss a WH source...if so, oops)."
Drudge doesn't reveal his source for the portion that says that the WH will make this a centerpiece of his second term agenda. As another poster has pointed out, this article is about two things that are closely related (1) WH reelection strategy, and (2) the mention in Hastert's book.
It doesn't take a rocket scientest to figure out why Drudge doesn't reveal his source for #1, given this administration's leak discipline. Drudge's article isn't the best written, but it seems pretty clear what is going on.
AKA "Out of the frying pan...."
A VAT-tax is a sucker's tax! I really don't care *HOW* they collect my money - only that they collect *LESS OF IT*.
"Hypothetically, Bush has no say on the matter whatsoever."
"Congress is specifically granted to pass Bills to raise revenue, not the Executive."
So it is your belief that this administration had nothing whatsoever to do with the tax cuts passed during the past 3 1/2 years by congress?
placemark
As strong as that lobby is, Congress uses the tax codes to reward some and punnish others. It's the #1 tool that gives Congress its power over the country.
Congress will never give up that power, not without a fight.
Mark
"Repeal the 16th amendment and institute a NSRT along with state tax reform."
State tax reform will be inevitable when we pass the FairTax. Why? Every state that taxes on income now would have to revisit their system once there is no federal 1040 to piggy-back onto. If they were foolish enough to attempt to continue taxing income, they would have to build their own income tax system from the ground up - a daunting task both practically and politically.
"It will NEVER happen. The tax lawyer lobby is too strong."
"As strong as that lobby is, Congress uses the tax codes to reward some and punnish others. It's the #1 tool that gives Congress its power over the country."
"Congress will never give up that power, not without a fight."
Of course there will be a fight. Noone ever said this would be easy. I get the impression sometimes that the Democrats think we never should have confronted the terrorists because this war on terrorism is rather difficult (to say the least). The insinuation seems to be that if something is difficult, we don't do it.
We had a saying in the USMC: "The difficult, we do immediately; the impossible takes slightly longer."
Just remember that for every special interest group there is out there, there are far more winners under real tax reform than there are losers. We outnumber them greatly. And that is what democracy is all about.
We're winning.
But this VAT tax idea has to be deep-sixed.
Shouldn't be hard to do. Every Fairtaxer in the country will toast them if they try it.
Ping...
As a matter of fact, YES
National Retail Sales Tax. One of my faves because if one person pays, everyone pays...
When it happens, I'll believe it. Until then, it's just so much speculation and hot air.
But I'll cross my fingers for some sanity from Washington.
"We're winning.
But this VAT tax idea has to be deep-sixed.
Shouldn't be hard to do. Every Fairtaxer in the country will toast them if they try it."
The WH is shrewd in committing to real tax reform without specifying a plan. Their posture, I hope, will be to foster a national debate and let the best plan win. The next time the FairTax loses a debate to another alternative (such as the Flat Tax) will be the FIRST time it has lost a debate. There are those who haven't studued the issue and who sincerely believe that the Flat Tax is a better alternative. That's fine. Let them defend in debate why they think we should retain the IRS, the most un-American institution in our society today. Let them explain why they think putting US producers at a disadvantage vs their international counterparts is wise policy. Let them defend driving jobs out of this country.
Similarly, the VAT won't hold up under scrutiny. Why should we bury the cost of government in consumer prices so that Americans cannot see what it is costing them?
The debate is long overdue. All Americans should welcome it.
This movement has been picking up steam for some time without any support from the WH. If the WH is serious about this, as I believe they are, it will move that momentum up dramatically.
Yep.
Time to ignite the next stage...
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