A Libertarian looks at the FairTax

Rasczak · 01-03-2008

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This guy believes Ron Paul should "flip flop" and add the FairTax to his platform. He also does a pretty good job of explaining most of the beneifits of the Fairtax.

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Under this legislation the income tax would be replaced with a national sales tax. Not only would individual income tax be replaced, but all capital gains, death taxes, and corporate taxes would be as well. The reason for this is that there is no such thing as a "corporate tax." It sounds good to tax a corporation, but in the end all taxes paid to the Federal Government by corporations equates to money not paid to the corporations' employees or owners (shareholders). This isn't some crackpot idea, the idea for the FairTax was created by some of America's most brilliant economic thinkers.

Here are some of the things most don't understand or consider when talk of the Fair Tax comes up:

The 23 (or 30 percent depending on how you do the math) tax is not in addition to the prices we are already paying. There is already a 20-30% invisible tax embedded in the cost of goods and services we use due to our current system. By ripping out the current system and including the national sales tax, prices would remain at essentially the same level they are now.

briang · 01-04-2008

Actually, my personal belief is that Dr. Paul would be open to other types of tax (sales tax, corporate tax, whatever). I am fully aware that he likes to say that he wants to replace the income tax with "nothing." However, in some of the longer interviews I have watched he does talk about more pragmatic approaches and transition periods. Indeed, reducing the size of the federal government to the size where the income tax can be completely removed is his ultimate goal. But, he is a smart guy, and he knows that realistically, it will take a lot of time, and a LOT of convincing Congress to go along.

All of these goals and theories are, of course, moot unless there is a spectacular up-tick in the current polls--which I am still hoping for.

Rasczak · 01-04-2008

The Fairtax is revenue neutral. Its selling point is not that it will collect more or less revenue for the government, its selling point is that it will collect it a different way. People would still be free to ask their elected leaders to charge them more taxes (liberals) or less taxes (conservative/libertarian).

I've hear Paul say its better than the current system.

Its going to be a huge fight. Were the Fairtax to be enacted, it would be the biggest transfer of power from the politicians in government back to the people in the history of the country.

It would eliminate all the class envy games while still the wealthier would pay more taxes, and the poor none.

01-04-2008	#2 (permalink)
briang Interested participant Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Southern California Posts: 27	Re: A Libertarian looks at the FairTax Actually, my personal belief is that Dr. Paul would be open to other types of tax (sales tax, corporate tax, whatever). I am fully aware that he likes to say that he wants to replace the income tax with "nothing." However, in some of the longer interviews I have watched he does talk about more pragmatic approaches and transition periods. Indeed, reducing the size of the federal government to the size where the income tax can be completely removed is his ultimate goal. But, he is a smart guy, and he knows that realistically, it will take a lot of time, and a LOT of convincing Congress to go along. All of these goals and theories are, of course, moot unless there is a spectacular up-tick in the current polls--which I am still hoping for.

01-04-2008	#3 (permalink)
Rasczak Stirrer Of Shit Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oahu Posts: 3,955	Re: A Libertarian looks at the FairTax The Fairtax is revenue neutral. Its selling point is not that it will collect more or less revenue for the government, its selling point is that it will collect it a different way. People would still be free to ask their elected leaders to charge them more taxes (liberals) or less taxes (conservative/libertarian). I've hear Paul say its better than the current system. Its going to be a huge fight. Were the Fairtax to be enacted, it would be the biggest transfer of power from the politicians in government back to the people in the history of the country. It would eliminate all the class envy games while still the wealthier would pay more taxes, and the poor none.
	Eric "For whoever habitually suppresses the truth in the interests of tact will produce a deformity from the womb of his thought." -Sir Basil H. Liddel-Hart "How do you tell a Communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin."—Ronald Reagan http://self-composed.com