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White House Floats Idea of Dropping Income Tax (altogether)
New York Times, Business and Financial Desk, Page 14, Column 5 ^ | 2/8/2003 | EDMUND L. ANDREWS

Posted on 02/08/2003 5:56:38 PM PST by Bigun

White House Floats Idea of Dropping Income Tax Overhaul By EDMUND L. ANDREWS

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 — President Bush, having already set off a firestorm over his proposals to cut taxes and revamp retirement accounts, suggested today that the time might be near to drop the income tax as a whole and replace it with some form of consumption tax...

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


TOPICS: Activism/Chapters; Breaking News; Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bush; consumptiontax; incometax; nrst; taxreform; whitehouse
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To: Sabertooth
If they're gonna have a national sales tax, the Constitutional maximum needs to be no higher than 10%. The goverment must live within its means.

How do you eat an elephant my friend!

ONE bite at a time!

I'm on YOUR side but until every Tom, Dick, and Harry in the country is accutely aware of what he is paying that AIN'T gonna happen!

281 posted on 02/09/2003 6:34:41 AM PST by Bigun
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To: Bigun
ZOWIE!

WOWIE!

Go to sleep one night and wake up with this!!!

Thanks, Bigun, for the ping. I can't wait to get into the thread...

give me a few minutes to catch up...281 posts...egads!

282 posted on 02/09/2003 6:54:40 AM PST by Principled
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To: Bigun
You have FReepmail.
283 posted on 02/09/2003 6:56:32 AM PST by IronJack
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To: Billy_bob_bob
...once the price of everything DOUBLES when this tax is imposed,...

Nope. You don't know the facts. Your assertion is as a 7th grader would make.

Prices will neither rise nor fall due to the nrst. It is the competition in our markets that will ensure it.

Why don't you read just ten minutes here or here . Just ten minutes.

Don't tell me you don't need to do so... it is clear that you do.

284 posted on 02/09/2003 6:59:07 AM PST by Principled
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To: Eva
Too bad that Chief Negotiator isn't around to see this.

I'm certain he is smiling.

285 posted on 02/09/2003 7:00:38 AM PST by Principled
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To: Gunslingr3
It (lobbying) will just switch to which consumer goods are taxed...

Well, a major reason for the nrst is to eliminate that lobby. That's why there are no exceptions. Income and investments are tax-free. Personal retail consumption is taxed. End of discussion.

286 posted on 02/09/2003 7:02:42 AM PST by Principled
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To: FreedomCalls; lodwick
5% wouldn't do it. It would be more on the order of 17%.

It would be 17% if we kept payroll taxes based on income and kept withholding... meaning we'd keep the IRS.

It would be 23% if we want to eliminate all income-based taxation. SS/MC are then funded from sales tax revenue.

I'm for the 23% which eliminates payroll taxes and eliminates withholding and eliminates the IRS.

287 posted on 02/09/2003 7:06:18 AM PST by Principled
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To: NordP
>..they traditionally don't pay their bills until sometimes 60 or 90 days out, and the tax on what they buy would break this guy's account if he had to pay the tax before he got paid for the job.

Of course you pay the tax after you've been paid. Surely the guy knew this.

...Williams said that it wouldn't be 17%...it would be more accurate to guesstimate closer to 30% tax on all you bought.

He's right. We currently pay taxes that amount to about 23 cents of each dollar we spend (although it's hidden and most folks don't know we pay it). 23 cents on tax leaves 77 cents to spend on goods/services - that's a 30% clip (23/77)

Some folks see this as 23%.

Irrespective of the method used to calculate the percentage, it's the same dollar amount we're already spending on taxes.

This is the reason prices won't rise under an nrst.

288 posted on 02/09/2003 7:13:56 AM PST by Principled
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To: ancient_geezer
My question: Do you know how much of your $1.78 per gallon unleaded is tax?

Your answer:

Far too much...[it]is made up as a combination of fuel excise taxes, state and federal...all up and down the line of production chain...[in other words, we can't tell].

So what exactly is your point?

The point:
1) A "pure" retail sales tax becomes a VAT eventually, for reasons I outlined in a previous post.
(2) A VAT is an invisible and insidious tax. Just like gas taxes, you do not know how much of the cost of a product you purchase consists of taxes. The Government will tax the manufacturers' or the shippers' "added value," which is opaque and obscure.
(3) The point is, we just like we don't know what the tax on gasoline is, we won't know the VAT tax rate. Taxes will sneak up on us in the dead of the night, and we'll wake up with a Euro style social state.

289 posted on 02/09/2003 7:22:24 AM PST by Plutarch
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To: Tuscaloosa Goldfinch
A National Retail Sales Tax is a form of consumption tax. See http://www.nysscpa.org/cpajournal/old/15410229.htm for a fairly good discussion of consumption taxes.

As to business sales tax collection, taxes will be remitted to the tax collection agency when realized. When you, as a business, actually collect the tax, you will be responsible for remitting it to the tax collection agency.

Both NRST bills (the Tauzin NRST and the Linder Fair Tax) call for states to collect the NRST for the federal government.

Re: paperwork. Your paperwork burden will decrease, both as an individual and as a business owner. Today, in the evil progressive income tax system, you are forced to file individual and business income tax returns, and collect and remit state sales taxes.

In the fairer, simpler NRST world, you will not have to file a personal or a business income tax return, and will only have to collect the state and the federal retail sales tax. A simple change to your accounting system will accommodate the NRST.

The Tax Foundation several years ago estimated that moving to a NRST would reduce the business tax compliance burden by 95%!

And of course, the personal tax compliane burden would be eliminated in its entirety!

And, you will get paid a percentage of your gross tax collections for collecting and remitting the NRST so that it does not become a unfunded federal mandate.

Check out http://www.salestax.org , http://www.votr.org , http://www.fairtax.org and http://www.cats.org .
290 posted on 02/09/2003 7:33:10 AM PST by Taxman
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To: Bigun
On January 7, 2003, a bipartisan tax bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressmen John Linder (Republican, GA) and Colin Peterson (Democrat, MN).

The "bipartisan" bill has gone from 7 co-sponsors to 1 co-sponsor....

291 posted on 02/09/2003 7:34:49 AM PST by lewislynn
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To: Bigun
The democrats won't support this till they can find a way to charge rich people more for the same goods!
292 posted on 02/09/2003 7:34:50 AM PST by Vinnie_Vidi_Vici
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To: lodwick
5% National sales tax bttt!

Let's work on getting rid of the income tax first before we start championing other taxes. You know how things work in Washington, you might end up with both.

293 posted on 02/09/2003 7:36:22 AM PST by JPJones
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To: Badray
Thanks for the ping, Badray.

See my post #290.

Glad you made it to CPAC this year. You obviously were able to figure out how to get around this year, as you did not ask me for directions once! LOL! Hope you had a good time.
294 posted on 02/09/2003 7:39:16 AM PST by Taxman
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To: Bigun
Excellent link. Thank you. I'll read it over coffee this morning.
295 posted on 02/09/2003 7:44:18 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (®)
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To: Taxman
"You obviously were able to figure out how to get around this year, as you did not ask me for directions once!"

What? Ask you for directions again and have to live with your teasing another 3 years? No way. I just didn't go anywhere and I stayed 2 blocks down the street. LOL - Actually, I am beginning to learn my way around town finally. I had a wonderful time at CPAC, as usual. It was great being able to spend such quality time with good people and patriots such as yourself. I am proud to call you friend.

296 posted on 02/09/2003 7:44:48 AM PST by Badray
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To: Plutarch
That is NOT how it happened in Socialist Europe!

The dimwitted Tax and Spend LIEberal/Socialist/Marxist Bastards who make policy in Socialist Europe forced members of the European Union to adopt a Value Added Tax!

In addition, the Socialist European states have ruinous Social Security, income, property, excise (gas costs in excess of $4.50 US per gallon in Europe) and any and all other taxes that their fertile minds can conjure up.

BTW, Ireland is a shining example of Socialiost tax apostasy. Ireland reduced its taxes rather significantly a few years ago, and has undergone an economic renaissance.

The rest of Europe hates Ireland's tax policy, but so far, the Irish have spit in their eyes and refused to raise their tax rates. The Irish are still cutting taxes, and still pi$$ing off the LIEberal/Socialist/Marxist Bastards in the EU. Good for the Irish!

297 posted on 02/09/2003 7:49:37 AM PST by Taxman
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To: FreedomCalls
Britain did the same thing.

No, they didn't.

They eliminated their income tax and replaced it with a national Value Added Tax (VAT).

Indeed.

A consumption tax as proposed (HR 25) is the polar opposite of a VAT.

298 posted on 02/09/2003 7:50:30 AM PST by Principled
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To: The Duke
...the very government that consistently moves to increase it's power over me wants to DECREASE the amount of my money it takes?

No, the law states than any new tax system must raise as much money as the previous system in its first year.

That being said, the method of collection has a great deal to do with spending.

299 posted on 02/09/2003 7:52:39 AM PST by Principled
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To: Badray
LOL! Glad you know your way around now. It is about time! LOL!

Backatcha: "It was great being able to spend such quality time with good people and patriots such as yourself. I am proud to call you FRiend."
300 posted on 02/09/2003 7:53:09 AM PST by Taxman
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