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The FBI has begun an investigation of this IRS thuggery, and Congress has already scheduled hearings. While these actions are both necessary and proper, they will not fix the underlying problem. This kind of abuse should have every American screaming bloody murder, and demanding serious and lasting reform. So, how should we fix a mammoth, arrogant, out-of-control bureaucracy? No federal thugs responsible for taxation should ever be loosed on private citizens or groups to limit their free exercise of First Amendment rights. Simply telling the IRS “don’t do that” is patently insufficient. Laws already exist for exactly that purpose, and...

Just an IRS demand for documents can virtually cripple an organization that can find itself needing to bring all hands on deck to comply with the demand. The White House will claim, of course, that it had nothing to do with this and was completely unaware of it. Congress should certainly not accept that claim on its face. House Republicans should stop at nothing to bring the truth about this matter to light, because most Americans don’t realize the power the IRS has to harass ordinary citizens. Do we have evidence that the Obama political team drove this in any...

These are the types of invasive tax maneuvers that boiled the blood of our Founding Fathers. But there's still a way out of all our Internal Revenue Service wars and woes. U.S. News & World Report highlighted some more encroaching news this past week in the article "IRS High-Tech Tools Track Your Digital Footprints." The IRS is "collecting a lot more than taxes this year," the report explained. "It's also acquiring a huge volume of personal information on taxpayers' digital activities, from eBay auctions to Facebook posts and, for the first time ever, credit card and e-payment transaction records." It...

Although Washington is gridlocked again over whether to raise taxes on the rich, wealthy families are already are paying some of their biggest federal tax bills in decades, while the rest of the population continues to pay at historically low rates. A new analysis shows that average tax bills for high-income families rarely have been higher since the Congressional Budget Office began tracking the data in 1979.

U.S. states could collect millions of dollars in online sales taxes, with members of both parties in Congress sponsoring legislation Thursday that would resolve states' decades-long struggle to tax businesses beyond their borders. "Small businesses and states alike are suffering from the inability to collect due — not new — taxes from purchases made online," said Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., adding the legislation is a "bipartisan, bicameral, common-sense solution that promotes states' rights and levels the playing field for our Main Street businesses." Legislation on the Amazon tax, named for the colossal Internet retailer, has languished for years. ..... <...

When someone says “First Amendment” you immediately think about your right to free speech, or perhaps freedom of religion. The First Amendment actually goes beyond that. For those of you who attended government schools, it’s time for a refresher. Here’s the actual wording: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Most people have a handle on the free speech, freedom of religion...

In the aftermath of a surreal election shock, those that ponder how to organize their way forward should heed this plea to familiarize themselves with every detail and nuance of the most innovative and inspirational legislation that has more support in Congress than all other competing proposals. Here is an easy intro link: http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FAQs Like the Sword of Damocles in Greek mythology, the FairTax can be held over the heads of those that have ascended the throne of the most powerful nation under God that has ever existed in human history.

Content of Character ::According to a report released by the Tax Foundation, an effective federal tax rate of 14.0% is higher than what 97 percent of Americans pay.- By: Larry Walker, Jr. -And according to The Tax Policy Center, the average effective federal tax rate for all Americans, as a percentage of cash income, was only 9.3% in 2011. Those in the Top 20 Percent (with incomes over $103,465) paid an average of 14.9%, while those in the Bottom 20 Percent (with incomes below $16,812) received back refundable tax credits averaging 5.8% of their incomes.Within the Top Quintile, the Top...

Most mainstream media outlets aide in the proliferation of myths about our tax system and our economy. Here are 5 myths about the US tax system that you probably thought were true. 1. Once A Millionaire, Always A Millionaire As you can see by the graph below, this shows how many consecutive years millionaires file their taxes as millionaires. Half of the people who become millionaires are only at that status for one year.​ 2. Tax Credits Only Help The Rich This graph shows the effective tax rates since 1980. As you can see, because of tax credits and deductions,...

Would you take just four minutes to help our cause? We need thousands of Americans to discover the FairTax video, and the way we do that is to rapidly get as many views on YouTube as possible. The more people that view it, the more prominently it will be displayed. Would you help us by immediately viewing the video so it goes viral across the internet? Please note, you will only be counted if you watch it to the end. To transform our economy and to get America working again, we need your friends to join our efforts to replace...

Since the "soak the rich" rhetoric has begun again, I though it was a good time to make sure that everyone knows exactly how adjusted gross income and federal individual income taxes are distributed among the various income brackets. I hope the moderators will indulge me and leave this in front-page news. I encourage everyone to bookmark this thread or the original source of data, so that you can refer to it when someone claims that the rich aren't paying their fair share. First, let's start with the source of the data: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/09in03etr.xls That's an Excel workbook. If you don't...

I pointed out in extensive discussions after March 21, 2010 and throughout 2011 that the democrats were following the FDR playbook on Social Security in pushing Obamacare. I tried my best to point out that regardless of the Commerce Clause or any uniformity provisions of constitutional law, that the 16th Amendment would be used to characterize Obamacare as a tax. Our enemy are those that impose on us and acquiesce to the 16th Amendment. If you are for appealing the 16th Amendment, it does not mean you are a tax protester, it does not mean you are not wanting to...

Herman Cain appeared on Fox News Wednesday night to make what was billed as a "very big announcement" on Sean Hannity's show. Very big it was not. The former Republican hopeful and pizza chain CEO did not endorse a current GOP candidate, as some had predicted he might. Nor did he announce he was getting back into the 2012 race, as Hannity teased he could. Instead, Cain announced the launch--or continuation--of his 999 economic plan with another catchy tagline: "Cain's Solutions Revolution." "The biggest comment when I ended my candidacy was, 'Keep 999 alive,'" Cain said. "And that's what this...

Herman Cain tells National Review Online that he will launch a new political-action committee in January. The outfit, whose final name remains under wraps, will be Cain’s main project next year. Its mission will be to enact his “9-9-9” economic plan. “We continue the campaign without a candidate,” says Cain, who hinted at the endeavor during his departure speech. “There are a lot of people who are willing to support the campaign for solutions without the end objective being my election as president of the United States.” As Cain transitions to private life, “Friends of Herman Cain,” the financial force...

Results from Democratic firm Public Policy Polling poll of likely GOP caucus goers: Newt Gingrich (22 percent), Ron Paul (21 percent), Mitt Romney (16 percent), Michele Bachmann (11 percent), Rick Perry (9 percent), Rick Santorum (8 percent), Jon Huntsman (5 percent), and Gary Johnson (1 percent). The poll’s margin of error is 4.2 percentage points. Down in the weeds, PPP notices a couple of factors that might be contributing to these numbers: He’s [Gingrich] also seen a significant decline in his favorability numbers. Last week he was at +31 (62/31) and he’s now dropped 19 points to +12 (52/40). The...

The "Frank J. Fleming Super Double Extra Fair Tax Plan" What’s a fair tax plan? A lot of people say it’s one where the rich — especially that wealthiest 1% — pay for almost everything because they have lots of money. Others say fair is making sure everyone pays at least something, as right now 47% of Americans don’t pay any income tax at all. Still, others say simplicity is what makes a fairer tax plan. For instance, Herman Cain has his 9-9-9 tax plan that would replace our current tax system with a much simpler business flat tax, individual...

What treat on Halloween! GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain is coming to the American Enterprise Institute on October 31st for a 9 AM chat with AEI tax guru Kevin Hassett. (I just might sneak in a few questions, too!) As you know, Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plan has incited energized discussion about the impact of taxes on Americans. The plan would throw out our current tax system and replace it with a 9 percent business tax, a 9 percent personal income tax, and a 9 percent national sales tax. Many economists believe that this move would promote growth, but detractors argue...

Our tax system is a source of mystery and headache for many, filled with confusing benefits and detriments, depending on whether the payer did what his political masters wanted him to do. Even more disturbing is that most revenues have been hidden behind the sticker prices and omitted from our pay stubs. Revenues were hidden by politicians for two reasons: to make it impossible for the payer to determine if he received value for his dollar, and so that funds could be easily misappropriated on things the payer never used or could ever use. Herman Cain suggests that you visit...

Cain 37% Romney 27% Ron Paul 12% Perry 6% 86% say they're somewhat or very satisfied with the current GOP field. Univ of Iowa Poll Press Release 102111

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...

Several critics on FReeRepublic of Cain's 9-9-9 plan have made a big deal about the empowerment zones included within the plan, suggesting that this idea is less than conservative as a result. The key to understanding the 9-9-9 plan is that it is designed to be an interim step towards the FairTax. The FairTax has a mechanism to prevent and defend against the the regressive nature of a consumption tax. In the FairTax, that is the prebate. The prebate is a monthly check sent out to each Citizen family for the amount of sales tax that family would pay on...

For a number of years now, people have asked me whether I prefer a “flat tax” or a “fair tax.” Both are problematic. The “flat tax” is typically conceived as a replacement for the existing personal income tax. This is fine, but it ignores the payroll tax, which is really just another form of income tax. So, it is only half of an income tax reform. In practice, quite a few countries have gone this route, beginning especially with Russia in 2001, and the results have been very good. These countries have generally replaced their income tax systems, but have...

The “9-9-9” plan that has helped propel businessman Herman Cain to the front of the GOP presidential field would stick many poor and middle-class people with a hefty tax increase while cutting taxes for those at the top, tax analysts say.The plan would do away with much of the current tax code and impose a 9 percent personal income tax, a 9 percent business tax and a 9 percent national sales tax, which tax experts say would mean that low- and middle-income Americans would pay more.“Right now, we have a strongly progressive income tax. High-income people are paying a higher...

Hauser's Law is an extension of the Laffer Curve (Art Laffer supports 9-9-9): "No matter what the tax rates have been, in postwar America tax revenues have remained at about 19.5% of GDP." The 9-9-9 plan is a bridge to the Fair Tax. A consumption tax is the ideal Republican tax. It is the least progressive tax and it ensures that everybody 'pay their fair share'. One of the chief complaints here on FR about the 9-9-9 plan is that is introduces a NRST without eliminating the income tax. What's to stop some future Congress from turning it into 20-20-20?...

Few seem to know it, but Phase 2 of Cain's 999 plan is the FairTax. Cain's website says the following about the FairTax: 1.) Amidst a backdrop of the economic boom created by the Phase 1 Enhanced Plan, I will begin the process of educating the American people on the benefits of continuing the next step to the Fair Tax. 2.) The Fair Tax would ultimately replace individual and corporate income taxes. 3.) It would make it possible to end the IRS as we know it. 4.) The Fair Tax makes our exported goods and services the most competitively internationally...

UPDATE: 9/27/2011 We were contacted directly by the Cain Campaign's chief economic advisors last week, and were advised that base numbers in our analysis significantly understate the initial revenue generated in the first year of the 999 plan. The Cain Campaign had indicated a willingness to share their raw data so that we might adjust our projections. We anticipate that this information will be made available shortly, and we'll review their data, and will modify our analysis if warranted. While the nation awaits Barack Obama's "Jobs Plan," which will be countered by the Romney "Jobs Plan"and the Wall Street Journal...

He is the latest Tea Party favourite to burst through in the increasingly heated race for the Republican presidential nomination and see their poll numbers rocket them to frontrunner status. However, unlike previous rightwing darlings such as Texas governor Rick Perry and Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann, wealthy businessman Herman Cain, 65, can claim to be cut from a very different sort of cloth from the average Republican candidate. First, he is not actually a politician. Cain, whose CV includes being a radio show host, a navy ballistics expert, a Baptist minister and a Federal Reserve official, has never held elected...

He didn’t break into song, but Rep. Jay Inslee otherwise sounded like a character in “West Side Story” as he excoriated young supporters during a Thursday fundraiser at Nabob on Queen Anne Hill.“It is time to get out on that field of battle with the Tea Party: It is time to stop rumbling with ourselves and start rumbling with the Tea Party,” said the gubernatorial hopeful.Inslee has sought to tie GOP Attorney General Rob McKenna, his all-but-certain 2012 opponent, to the Tea Party: Polls show rising public disapproval of the right-wing movement.Inslee was ready to rumble with a lot of...

Herman Cain's supporters know their part by heart. On the campaign trail, at the point in Cain's stump speech when he begins to discuss his plan for economic growth, they're always ready to join the chorus: "Nine! Nine! Nine!" They're referring, of course, to the Republican presidential candidate's proposal to throw out today's tax structure and replace it with a 9 percent income tax, a 9 percent business tax, and a 9 percent national sales tax. Cain would eliminate capital gains taxes, the payroll tax and the estate tax. For Cain, a Georgia businessman, 9-9-9 is a perfect platform. It's...

COMMENTARY | Herman Cain, the former Godfather's Pizza CEO and current candidate for president of the United States, may not get the Republican nomination. But he remains the most interesting man running for the Oval Office. For instance, Cain's "9 9 9" proposal, which essentially would replace the current tax code with a 9 percent flat tax on personal income, a 9 percent corporate tax, and a 9 percent national sales tax, has the virtue of being simple, easy to understand, and appealing to anyone who has had to struggle with complying with the tax code. Cain's proposal, repeated during...

Link to video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IuiEmXoBhI&feature=youtu.be Herman Cain talks about his 9-9-9 Economic Growth Plan in detail. To read the plan, go to http://www.hermancain.com/images/economicgrowth.pdf

FLASHBACK - Herman Cain at the First FairTax Rally in 2006

For the past couple of weeks, I've been looking into the Fair Tax, a tax law that is picking up a lot of momentum since many GOP candidates, including Herman Cain, support it. For those who don't know what the Fair Tax is, it is essentially a national sales tax of 23%. Even though that might not sound too pleasing, what makes the fair tax so great is that it abolishes all other federal taxes. Income, capital gains, and payroll taxes would all cease to exist. To bring support to the Fair Tax, which I believe is much better than...

Paying taxes is a fact of life, because there are certain things that our federal government must provide as enumerated in the Constitution. But paying taxes does not have to be unfair, burdensome and costly. Our current system of taxation is all three, and it got that way little by little over time since 1913. The Fair Tax (H.R. 25) is a fairer tax because it is just the opposite. It is fair because the consumer determines their taxes based on their purchase behavior instead of being determined by the government based on one’s capacity to produce. Our production is...

From the article... "There have been an endless amount of tax-reforming legislation passed into law going back for decades. All that happens is the opposite. More tax law, more special-interest group provisions, more pork, more lobbyists, more regulation, more penalties, more destruction of the U.S. trade relations, more incentive for business to move jobs or the company itself out of America, more loss of liberties of the taxpayers, and more corruption of the Congress and the President."

He thinks. Therefore he isn't. Somehow, Herman Cain has become invisible. Media pundits tell us again and again that the Republican rank and file aren't happy with any of the leading contenders for the 2012 presidential nomination, that these voters really want an alternative. The pundits speculate endlessly on possible additions to the field: Mitch Daniels, Chris Christie, perhaps even Jeb Bush. But despite the fact that Cain has a large and enthusiastic following, the former Godfather's Pizza CEO rarely seems to merit even a mention. Recently, 15,000 supporters crowded Atlanta's Olympic Park, where they boisterously cheered Cain's eloquent and...

As the current debate over fiscal reform suggests, very few proposals for fundamental changes in tax policy have the potential to command support across the ideological spectrum.  The "FairTax" is the great exception.  Correctly understood, the Fair Tax Act (HR 25, S13 with 67 cosponsors), which would replace almost all federal taxes with a direct tax on consumption, should appeal to conservatives, progressives, and libertarians alike.  Let's start with conservatives.  The FairTax enjoys more support from this quarter than any other tax reform proposal, including the flat tax and the reforms outlined in Congressman Paul Ryan's Path to Prosperity. ...

VIDEO of probable presidential candidate Herman Cain promotes replacing the current "messed-up tax code" with the FairTax, a single rate consumption tax, on the Neil Cavuto show today...

Bypass the mainstream media black out and lets get a conversation started on what is a ridiculous main stream media

One of the more intriguing new websites on the political blogoshere is POPVOX. POPVOX is an interactive site that enables individual citizens to weigh in on bills introduced into congress. You can vote for/against bills in the house or senate and you can also make a comment that will be displayed on the respective Bill Report page and forwarded to your respective representative/senator. POPVOX also has a mapping facility which shows where support\opposition to a bill is coming from geographically. You can drill down to CD level all the way up to state and national. HR 25 (The FairTax) made...

HARTFORD (AP) — Devotees of coupons and discounts are angry at Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's proposal to slap a new sales tax on the original price of a good or service rather than the discounted price. Ending the sales tax exemptions for coupons, discounts and automobile trade-ins are among tax exemptions Malloy has proposed ending to help close the state's projected $3.5 billion deficit. For example, the tax would be imposed on the $30 price of a blouse, not the $15 sales price. Gina Juliano learned firsthand after she lost her job in 2009 as a vice principal in the...

As April 15th draws near, the airwaves are filled with spots for income tax preparation “services,” nearly all of which were founded by and staffed with “former” IRS agents and auditors. If you younger folks are wondering why these outfits are heavy with former IRS people, think of a one-way revolving door. On one side is the IRS where these guys joined over 120 thousand others in the IRS to become as skilled at understanding the ins and out of the tax “code” (so named because it is written in code no human being could possibly fully understand) and IRS...

THE INSANITY OF THE INCOME TAX “He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.” (The Declaration of Independence) Obama’s proposed IRS budget for 2011 is 13.3 BILLION – a 1.1 BILLION hike over 2010 -- and calls for adding 5,100 new agents to the over 100,000 currently on the payroll. Notice I didn’t say “working there.” This is the crack agency that just last year sent out checks totaling 39 million bucks based on phony documents filed by PRISON INMATES! God only knows how many...

I need some advice from some fellow Freepers who may be able to give me some. I am filling out my tax form, I using the 1040A tax form. While filling it out I am directed to a form that is called Schedule M. I found out I qualified for it last year, after I paid my taxes. The IRS sent my wife and I a check for $500.00 with a letter stating we failed to use schedule m which qualified us for an additional deduction. Personally I think it was a way for the democrats to buy votes....

The Georgia Tea Party on Wednesday became the latest conservative voice to come out against a plan to overhaul Georgia’s tax structure. In a statement, the organization -- one of several tea party groups operating in the state -- said the proposal by the Special Council on Tax Reform and Fairness was neither real reform nor fair. “The [Georgia Tea Party] supports tax simplification,” the statement reads. “However, the council’s recommendations do not simplify taxes but merely shuffle tax revenue buckets through a series of complex and sometimes arbitrary additions and subtractions of exemptions.” The organization echoed a familiar complaint...

The persistent reduction of citizens retained earnings and the compression of individual free choice options — installed through an insidious income tax system and set of nefarious regulatory schemes – is indeed endemic of the very abuses and usurpations that gave our forefathers just cause to birth the Declaration of Independence.

In last week’s commentary I announced the formation of my presidential exploratory committee. The majority of the responses I have received have been very positive and encouraging, and the responses to the common-sense solutions I have discussed at dozens of town-hall-style meetings have been outstanding. My focus at these meetings has been on strengthening our national security, unleashing the full growth potential of our economy, cutting government spending, modernizing our social programs, fixing our immigration problems and implementing a real energy independence strategy. People have responded especially well to my approach to problem-solving. They are not expecting a leader to...

When my financial advisor gave me a lot of caveats about the new Fair Tax surfacing in Congress, what I really heard him saying was, “You can’t trust government.” The unintended consequences of the proposed Fair Tax are pause for alarm because “when they sell a Fair Tax, they don’t tell you about other taxes” that will conveniently remain on the books. “In theory if the government says they’ll take away all other taxes, do they?” The Fair Tax is a misnomer in Europe. The income tax was not abolished when they added a VAT value added tax or Fair...

Washington, DC—On Wednesday, January 5, 2011, Congressman Rob Woodall (GA-07) introduced H.R. 25, the FairTax. The FairTax legislation eliminates the current income tax paradigm and replaces it with a system of taxation based on consumption. The bill was introduced on Wednesday with 47 original co-sponsors—the most original co-sponsors the bill has ever had for its initial introduction. “I committed to the Seventh District of Georgia that my efforts in Congress would focus on reclaiming freedom for the American people. It is for that reason that I am proud to make the FairTax—the only bill that restores transparency and simplicity to...

Dial down the deafening Sarah Palin buzz for just a moment: The most consequential decision in the 2012 Republican presidential sweepstakes could be whether Mike Huckabee decides to run again – and associates say the former Arkansas governor may well take the plunge. If Huckabee gets in, he will unquestionably be a force to be reckoned with in the fight for the nomination. He’d be the undisputed frontrunner in lead-off Iowa, where he won by nine points in 2008. He’d be the candidate to beat in South Carolina, which he narrowly lost to John McCain two years ago in part...