Tom, First, you fail to observe that FairTax begins us on the path to TAX ELIMINATION. The FairTax ELIMINATES the following taxes:
INCOME TAX WITHHOLDING TAXES SELF-EMPLOYMENT TAXES ESTATE TAXES GIFT TAXES CAPITAL GAINS TAX ALTERNATIVE MINIMUM TAX Before signing on to this, I spent many, many hours studying it - especially because I feel that the real issue is: GOV'T SPENDING Apparently, the FairTax authors are also aware of this. Check out 6:25 secs into the following video: http://www.fairtaxmi.org/resrcs/FairTax-Time.wmv Another link that really nails the manner in which the current system makes us all TAX SLAVES is shown here (READ PAGE 2 of the .pdf file, first): http://www.fairtaxmi.org/resrcs/Brochure-MI.pdf The FairTax is like a firm rudder on a very heavy freighter plowing through deep water in the wrong direction (irresponsible spending, debaucherous "hidden tax" confiscation via business tax - which ends up in higher prices to consumers). In addition to the taxes it ELIMINATES, as noted above, the FairTax will turn this "tax ship" in the right direction by: ** Eliminating the Tax Code - the primary tool of politicians to keep 53% of the lobbyists in Washington knocking on their doors. ** Printing the public cost on every sales receipt. This is truly profound in that Joe Public will begin to understand just how much their government costs (answer? 23% - THE FairTax rate on receipts). Thus, Joe Public no longer remains "baffled" by the "incomprehensible tax system" because the FairTax has now made it understandable. This is anathema to the Pols and the professional lobbyists. How is it that you can continue to say that the FairTax is worse than the current system? You see the pre-bate as "welfare." The pre-bate is an advance REBATE of TAX TO BE SPENT. You're hung up on semantics, and take a position of "eliminating the tax system" entirely which is NOT AN ADVANCEABLE POSITION. Also, refer back to my comprehensive message: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian/message/49983 It is important for all liberty-loving sovereigns to register their approval and support for the FairTax bill in Congress (HR 25 / S 25) by "Voting The Petition" at: http://db.fairtaxvolunteer.org/petition.php I am amazed, in light of all that has been exhaustively researched and communicated in this forum, other forums, http://tinyurl.com/7lssy (LINKS), http://fairtax.org, and http://fairtaxvolunteer.org that people can continue to misrepresent what the FAIRTAX IS ! God help us if we fail to use our rational faculties, and continue to blather in ignorance! Get with it, man. Truly, Ian --- In [email protected], "Thomas L. Knapp" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Quoth Boyd W. Smith: > > > There is an old saying that says that the perfect is the enemy of > the better. The fair tax while not perfect is clearly much better. > > Only if by "clearly much better" you mean it: > > - Results in the theft by government of just as much money as the > income tax (the "Fair" Taxers boast that their proposal is "revenue > neutral"); > > - Results in the same amount of, or perhaps more, redistribution of > wealth than the income tax (the "Fair" Taxers boast that their > proposal is at least as "progressive" as the income tax); > > - Puts every American on the dole so that they're recipients of > monthly government welfare checks which the majority will likely fight > tooth and nail to keep coming in perpetuity (the "prebate"); and > > - The "Fair" Taxers arguments about eliminating the IRS aside, _will_ > require a bureaucracy to administer (both to collect and to send out > the welfare checks). > > The "Fair Tax" is at _least_ as bad as the income tax in every way, > and worse in some ways. It's not a tax cut. It's not a tax > elimination. It's just a strengthening of the tax system by linking it > to a welfare program -- just like Social Security, which has been a > "third rail" issue in American politics for half a century precisely > because millions of Americans have a vested interest in keeping the > checks coming. > > It may not be politically possible to get the income tax straight- out > eliminated right now, but it is politically possible to get it CUT, > which would be a far superior alternative to the "Fair" Tax. > > The Boston Tea Party's program calls for universal, bottom-up tax cuts > as follows: > > "The Boston Tea Party calls for legislation adopting an annual, > regularized increase in the personal exemption to the federal income > tax of $1,000 or more, and the additional application of said personal > exemption to all FICA/Social Security taxes paid by employees and > employers." > > Members of Congress (mostly Democrats) routinely propose and vote for > increases to the personal exemption, so it's politically doable. > > Increases to the personal exemption give EVERYONE who pays taxes a tax > cut, from the janitor at the local factory to Bill Gates. > > Increases to the personal exemption remove people from the tax rolls > and withholding treadmill entirely (every time the exemption goes up, > more people's income falls below the taxable amount). > > Applying the personal exemption to Social Security payments would > address the extreme regressivity of the Social Security system. The > poorest people pay proportionately the most in Social Security taxes > (since the requirement to pay is capped at a certain income level in, > I believe, the $60K range), and they receive the fewest benefits (due > to shorter lifespan). > > Eliminating the income tax is the best option. Failing that, cutting > it is. Replacing it with a tax that doesn't cut taxes, doesn't remedy > redistribution problems, doesn't eliminate (or probably even reduce) > the associated bureaucratic and administrative costs, and puts every > American on government welfare is just a scam if the goal is to reduce > or eliminate taxation. > > Tom Knapp > ForumWebSiteAt http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
