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No, a 'Fair Tax' is not a good idea: Some Republicans like this proposal, but it's a dud, and it will wreck your wallet
American Thinker ^ | 05/31/2023 | Jack Hellner

Posted on 05/31/2023 8:16:35 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Let's take a look at the "Fair Tax" and see how fair it really is.

Yes, it would tax health care and health insurance. Why would people think United Health Care, Aetna, other very profitable companies would not only not pay income taxes or payroll taxes, but would also be somehow exempt from the fair tax as well?

Almost everything would be taxed, or else they wouldn't collect the money the federal government supposedly need. 

The Fair Tax Act would impose a 30 percent national sales tax

Beginning in 2025, H.R. 25 would impose $30 in tax on each $100 purchase.** Proponents call this a "23 percent tax" because the $30 tax payment is 23 percent of the tax-inclusive price of $130. Yet described in more conventional terms — such as those used for existing state sales taxes — the $30 paid in tax is, in reality, a 30 percent tax on the cost of the goods or services purchased.

The new tax would apply broadly to nearly everything Americans buy, including goods and services often exempt from state sales taxes, such as housing, health care, and groceries.*** The Fair Tax Act includes a "family consumption allowance" that would provide families with a "prebate," calculated as a percentage of the federal poverty level.

What about cars?  GM, Carvana, all car manufacturers, and car-dealers would not only not pay income taxes or payroll taxes, but also be exempt from the national sales tax?  Only a childlike mind would believe that. 

Well, perhaps the monthly prebate will solve the problem for the poor, and that will take care of that.  But how many bureaucrats would it take to calculate the prebate, administer it, and send out the money?  How would they calculate it for people who don't file income taxes

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: fairtax; taxes
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1 posted on 05/31/2023 8:16:35 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
This sounds like something Mitt Romney could get behind.

2 posted on 05/31/2023 8:20:54 AM PDT by Governor Dinwiddie (LORD, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil.)
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To: SeekAndFind

If “fair tax” means sales tax and sales tax ONLY, it IS a fair tax.

Repeal the 16th Amend.


3 posted on 05/31/2023 8:22:08 AM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMV.e)
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To: SeekAndFind

You would have to repeal the 16th amendment first. No “ lets get this tax in place and we PROMISE to repal the 16th later”.


4 posted on 05/31/2023 8:22:10 AM PDT by Tench_Coxe (The woke were surprised by the reaction to the Bud Light fiasco. May there be many more surprises)
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To: SeekAndFind

IMHO, the monthly prebate negates it from being a fair tax. When some people are exempt from the tax, or if the tax doesn’t apply to everybody equally, calling it “fair” is about like calling me anorexic.


5 posted on 05/31/2023 8:22:12 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Anything that says it’s “Fair”, isn’t.


6 posted on 05/31/2023 8:22:37 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: SeekAndFind

30% as a starting point.


7 posted on 05/31/2023 8:23:04 AM PDT by Lurkina.n.Learnin (The road to tyranny is paved with compliance )
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To: SeekAndFind

Get rid of the entire Income Tax code of what? 4000 pages and replace it with a simple consumption/sales tax, that practically every state and county can administer and do so every day for decades...................


8 posted on 05/31/2023 8:23:25 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger

RE: a simple consumption/sales tax, that practically every state and county can administer and do so every day for decades...................

How did the USA survive prior to the passing of the 16th Amendment ?


9 posted on 05/31/2023 8:26:53 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: Tench_Coxe

RE: You would have to repeal the 16th amendment first.

How did the USA survive prior to the passing of the 16th amendment?


10 posted on 05/31/2023 8:27:34 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

From what I’ve seen, just about every industrialized country has a General Sales Tax and/or Value Added Tax. In any case, few seem to have the crazy conglomerate of tax codes that we have to put up with in the U.S.

From my point of view, just about anything would be better than our present system. A side benefit would be drastic cuts to the IRS, something we should all appreciate.


11 posted on 05/31/2023 8:31:31 AM PDT by Roadrunner383
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To: Tench_Coxe

Good point. I want to repeal the 16th but indeed, it would have to be done first.


12 posted on 05/31/2023 8:31:52 AM PDT by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue./Federal-run medical care is as good as state-run DMV.e)
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To: Roadrunner383

RE: From what I’ve seen, just about every industrialized country has a General Sales Tax and/or Value Added Tax.

Heck, as far as I can tell , every state in the union has a general sales tax.


13 posted on 05/31/2023 8:32:48 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
Excise taxes, tariffs, customs duties and public land sales.
Lincoln tried an income tax and it got shot down by the courts.

Repealing the 16th would starve the DC beast.

14 posted on 05/31/2023 8:32:50 AM PDT by Tench_Coxe (The woke were surprised by the reaction to the Bud Light fiasco. May there be many more surprises)
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To: SeekAndFind

The Federal government was waaaaay smaller and was financed by import duties.......................


15 posted on 05/31/2023 8:33:24 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: SeekAndFind

Somebody put in the 23% to kill the thought of this idea.

It should be 10% at the most and tied to the inflation rate. The fed raises interest and inflation goes up?..then the tax rate drops comparable.
Spend next year only what is brought in this year, minus ten per cent to pay down the debt.

FICA should remain outside the box.

They wont ever give up this present income tax though. They got your ass and they know it. They will go to digital currency soon and you wont even control your own money.
They already are alerted when you transfer or withdraw money out of your accounts.
Try that with digital currency. They’ll freeze your accounts and you will have to explain why and what you are doing with YOUR money.


16 posted on 05/31/2023 8:35:04 AM PDT by crz
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To: Red Badger

Yeah, getting rid of the income tax and replacing it with a sales/consumption tax would be treat, but how long before they’d try to double tax items that you bought, used, and tried to resell. I mean, a 10 year old refrigerator might garner $100 used, and help pay for a new one, but if the government gets its way, the used market will be basically eliminated for many goods. And, they’d be using those 87,000 IRS agents to make sure that Uncle Sam got his 30% cut.

Not saying it can’t work, but it needs to be a LOT less than 30%. And it has to guarantee that there would be NO income tax at all. And they cannot tax the same item twice or more.

Might be easier to just implement a flat 10% tax on ALL income regardless of a person’s income bracket. Time for those 50% of American deadbeats to start paying THEIR fair share, and 10% should be more than adequate.


17 posted on 05/31/2023 8:36:01 AM PDT by meyer (FBI = KGB for the DNC; IRS = Gestapo)
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To: SeekAndFind

Oregon doesn’t, or at least they didn’t when I lived there many years ago.


18 posted on 05/31/2023 8:36:06 AM PDT by HartleyMBaldwin
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To: SeekAndFind

This is a shining example of government being skilled at screwing up a good idea. Fair Tax is a very good idea. 30% tax is stupid.


19 posted on 05/31/2023 8:36:54 AM PDT by discostu (like a dog being shown a card trick)
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To: Red Badger
The Federal government was waaaaay smaller and was financed by import duties.......................

Perhaps the government needs to shrink to that size again.

Governs least, governs best.

20 posted on 05/31/2023 8:37:42 AM PDT by meyer (FBI = KGB for the DNC; IRS = Gestapo)
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