Fred Thompson answers "The Question"!(Supports The Fair Tax)

Americans For Fair Taxation ^ | July 25, 2007

[ovrtaxt]

Well, maybe the Fairtax site caliming it as such will force him to clarify. Or maybe he’ll keep his mouth shut and ride the wave.

We’ll see what happens if some anti-fairtaxers confront him.

Fred is not the plain talker that Fred supporters make him out to be. He’s very good at not answering a question clearly when he doesn’t want to.

He still hsan’t said jack squat about globalism and the SPP.

[Redbob]

As I near retirement, with substantial already-taxed savings on which under current law I would pay no more federal tax, I don’t much care for the so-called “Fair Tax” which would just tax it all over again.

P*ss on your “Fair” tax.

[Mr. K]

I font like the fair tax... never mind the idiotic ‘tax inclusixe’ argument.

The worst part is a ‘rebate’ at the end of the year for people who have low income. This would be a LARGE percentage of the population (a voting block) and it would be a fight for their votes every election by whoever promises them more.

How would you like to pay 25% or more sales tax at the cash register? they have something similar in canada called the GST and they HATE IT WITH A PASSION

They are hating their health care system too

I like flat tax with NO EXEMPTIONS

[The Pack Knight]

The worst part is a ‘rebate’ at the end of the year for people who have low income. This would be a LARGE percentage of the population (a voting block) and it would be a fight for their votes every election by whoever promises them more.

The rebate is for everyone, not just those with low incomes. The amount is based purely on household size, not household income. It is simply a rebate of estimated taxes paid for the necessities of life based on poverty-level spending. The purpose is to exempt poverty-level spending from taxation without removing whole classes of goods and services from the tax base, as many state sales taxes do with food, for example. A couple with two children making $1 million a year receives the same amount every month as a couple with two children making $10,000.

All tax cuts, tax increases, rebate cuts, or rebate increases will be across the board, just like with the flat tax you propose. If politicians want to promise tax cuts in the form of a bigger rebate, I say good. If they want to fund it by raising the sales tax rate, I say good luck getting that through.

How would you like to pay 25% or more sales tax at the cash register? they have something similar in canada called the GST and they HATE IT WITH A PASSION

They might hate it less if their income, capital gains, estate, and all other federal taxes were repealed, which is what H.R. 25 would do.

[Dick Bachert]

Beat me to it. Until we SEE his response in writing — and, given the history of politicians throughout recorded history — even THAT is not a sure thing!

[eraser2005]

For clarification:

Is he in favor of the exact proposals currently before Congress?

If so, he lost my vote.

No way in heck will I approve of a 30% tax on everything I have saved.

[Dick Bachert]

Beat me to it. Until we SEE his response in writing — and, given the history of politicians throughout recorded history — even THAT is not a sure thing!

[Mr. K]

dont you see what you are saying????? Do you want the EVERYONE dependant on the GOVERNMENT to decide how much rebate they get back?

Soon the stupid people will be a huge voting block for whoever offers them more ‘rebate’

[Goreknowshowtocheat]

The fair tax is the only way to restore freedom and privacy. Otherwise the Gestapo is still involved.

[Goreknowshowtocheat]

Fred is not the return of Ronaldo Maximus. That is his screen persona. He is a lawyer from the South deeply into special interest lobbying. That is not a good sign.

[navyguy]

When you spend those savings you’re going to pay taxes no matter what, with or without the FT.

Under the Fair Tax the taxes would go to the fed as a retail sales tax. Under the current system, without the FT, you’re still paying embedded business taxes, and at roughly the same rate as the Fair Tax (22-23%). So you’re being taxed at the same rate with or without the FT.

[LibLieSlayer]

“Special Interest Lobby”... NRA, Right to Life, Firearm Manufacturers, American Radio Relay League (Ham radio), USO, College Republicans and various other organizations use lobbyists to promote their point of view. Should a dim refuse to vote for an attorney because he did work for the NRA or Right to Life groups? Lobby is a bad word until it is a group that YOU support that is fighting for things that YOU deem important.

LLS

[lewislynn]

Under the current system, without the FT, you’re still paying embedded business taxes, and at roughly the same rate as the Fair Tax (22-23%). So you’re being taxed at the same rate with or without the FT.

Prove it. What if I buy something on sale? The producer(s) of the product already paid their tax...

Businesses don't pay 22-23% of their gross in income/business taxes and income taxes don't "cascade" from one level to another.

Enjoy the Koolaide.

[Hostage]

JaneNC,

The Flat Tax is still an ‘Income’ tax.

Do you know what is wrong with an ‘Income’ tax in any form?

It is its definition.

Is ‘Income’ the same as ‘Revenue’?

You would not believe what people thought 100 hundred years ago or even 80 years ago when it came to discussing an Income tax. Most people did not care because they never saw it. It applied only to the top .5% of the American population.

It has since spread to the middle class and the way it spread was a slow, clever and deceitful manipulation of the word ‘income’.

This is why billionaire Warren Buffett pays a 17% tax rate and his secretary pays a 25% rate. He admitted to that. You see, Buffett is able to get loopholes by having Congress define ‘income’ to be gains, exempt revenues or deductible or equivalently get Congress to define revenue as non-taxable income and so forth.

This is the root of the who problem. ‘Income’ can be anything the IRS decides it will be or not be. That is why good people learn the IRS is a KGB like organization in America. Good people that always paid their taxes suddenly get an audit notice and are told they owe thousands in taxes and thousands more in penalties and interest because they did not fill their taxes out correctly because they did not understand ‘income’. And there is no due process in court, they must pay or else. The Constitution does not apply in Tax Court.

If you have a high speed internet connection, watch this film:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1656880303867390173

I am not saying don’t pay your taxes. Please do pay your taxes but be aware of the system we have and why we it needs to be changed. The FairTax is the only way to get us back to the Constitution.

[lewislynn]

The fair tax is the only way to restore freedom and privacy. Otherwise the Gestapo is still involved.

--------

Fred is not the return of Ronaldo Maximus. That is his screen persona. He is a lawyer from the South deeply into special interest lobbying. That is not a good sign.

Hmmm. I wonder if AFT is a special interest lobby...Be careful what you wish for.

[Politicalmom]

“Deeply into”? What a pile.

[gpapa]

As a retiree the fair tax would actually increase my tax burden, not decrease it.

[xrp]

As a retiree the fair tax would actually increase my tax burden, not decrease it.

How is that? Do you not consume anything right now? You are already paying the Fair Tax rate on consumables because corporations and companies pass their tax burden onto you in the form of higher prices.

[BlackElk]

I hate the income tax and IRS (and its infernal snoopiness) with a passion but the 16th Amendment authorizes Congress to lay a tax on incomes from whatever source derived. Thus, q.e.d., the income tax, however despicable, is nonetheless quite constitutional.

Prohibition of sale of alcoholic beverages was once constitutional as well. Then, by popular demand, another constitutional amendment repealed the one allowing prohibition.

Is it not true that restoring the constitution as it was prior to the 16th Amendment as to income taxation would also require a constitutional amendment??? You would think that we would care at least as much for protecting our earnings and privacy as we would for protecting our right to guzzle booze.

[Hostage]

Thanks for the ping.

I saw the film clip and he answered “Yes absolutely”.

I think he will not run on the FairTax but he will say we need major reform in our Tax system.

Here’s why.

To run on the FairTax puts a candidate on the defensive, constantly having to defend a proposal that people like Hillary Clinton will raise fears about.

Instead I see FDT as responding saying I will absolutely consider the FairTax as a part of my overall Tax Reform. But he will put Hillary Clinton on the defensive making her defend the current monstrosity.

More and more people are understanding the current tax code works against them. There are no tangible benefits to the Income tax.

Is the Income tax used to fund:

Schools? No, local taxes fund schools.
Roads? No, gas taxes funds roads.
Social Security? No, Payroll taxes fund Social Security.
Medicare? No, Medicare payroll taxes fund Medicare.
Military? No, Corporate taxes fund and have always funded the Military even before 1913, before the Income tax.

So what does the ‘Income’ tax fund?

It is used to pay interest on the National Debt, to pay interest to the Federal Reserve (which is as ‘federal’ as Federal Express), it pays interest on something that was created out of thin air and our Government doesn’t have to do this. Our Government could create its own currency additions within the Department of Treasury thereby eliminating interest payments.

It is also used to pay for waste. Is the Department of Education necessary? The Department of Education was created under the worst President in US history, Jimmy Carter, as a payoff to the education unions.

The bottomline is the ‘Income’ tax is a waste and is unnecessary.

But if FDT runs with the FairTax, the left and their allies in the media will scream the sky will fall, social security will disappear, etc.

It is best for FDT to attack Clinton and make her defend the current system. She will try to say that it can be reformed but she will need to provide details and everyone knows it cannot be reformed.

As for FDT, he will say that he will consider all proposals including the FairTax and elimination of the IRS.

I see FDT as allowing an experiment in the FairTax to be conducted on several willing states. He will work to allow some states to opt out and replace the income tax with the FairTax. He will form a commission to study the effects and by the time he runs for a second term, he will be running full steam on the FairTax.

Sweet justice would have the FairTax fully enacted in 1913 with legislation to repeal the 16th Amendment.