by TD of The Right Track
More and more, I am hearing of people advocating for the FairTax in print, speeches, symposia, television, and radio. I've gathered a few of the more recent articles and provided links and a summary below each link. I've also quoted from several of the articles. Seems like support for the FairTax is pretty diverse!
Economic outlook: Georgia No. 1 in U.S. - July 16, 2006
Georgia's economic outlook is rosier than that of any other state in the nation, according to a new study by the father of supply-side economics.
Arthur Laffer, an influential adviser to former President Ronald Reagan, put Georgia at the top of his annual comparative ranking of state economies, a seven-category analysis that primarily focuses on tax and fiscal policy. That's up from fifth place in 2005 and a marked improvement from a No. 24 finish in 2002.
...Laffer suggested the state might want to shift more of the tax burden to sales from property or income, an idea popular among state Republican lawmakers, who are currently examining the possibilities. Even without such a shift, he advocated expanding the sales tax to encompass food and services in exchange for a lower rate.
"You want to tax those factors the most that can escape the least ... and in the least damaging fashion," Laffer said. "The broader the base, the lower the rate, the better the tax."
Perdue agreed that the state might do well to adopt a more consumption-focused tax system, perhaps after the fashion of the FairTax proposed by U.S. Rep. John Linder, a Republican who represents parts of north metro Atlanta.
GOP debate for Hefley's post, July 18, 2006
Candidates in Colorado support the FairTax:
"We need to get rid of the IRS," said candidate Jeff Crank. "We've got to allow people in the free market to make choices, choose whether they want to pay taxes."
Some Republicans also voiced support for the proposed "FairTax" that would replace all income, payroll, capital gains and inheritance taxes with a 23 percent sales tax on new goods. All five Republicans also favored abolishing the inheritance tax.
Tax and Spend, July 27, 2006
Congressional candidates in Arizona were asked about taxes and spending:
Frank Antenori, the former Green Beret now working for Raytheon, says the Bush tax cuts have resulted in "money pouring into the treasury."
He says establishing an income tax was a big mistake.
"The Founding Fathers knew that imposing an income tax would bring this country down," he says. "We screwed up with the 16th Amendment when we allowed the federal government the ability to levy taxes on personal income."
Antenori favors a national sales tax and tariffs, which he says "would be far less regressive than income taxes."
He likewise says the estate tax should be repealed because "you should only pay taxes while you're alive."
Gravel: 'Let the people decide', July 27, 2006
2008 Democrat and Presidential hopeful Mike Gravel supports the FairTax:
Another of Mr. Gravel’s major campaign points is the value of implementing the so-called FairTax. Essentially, the FairTax system calls for the abolishment of all federal taxes, including income taxes, with revenue being replaced by a higher sales tax, likely between 20% and 30%.
Mr. Gravel said the prices of most goods would remain fairly constant, since companies, no longer burdened with federal taxes, could set their prices 20% to 30% lower.
“In the end, after a year’s transition, you’re not paying any more in taxes than you were before,” he said. “That’s to keep it revenue-neutral.”
For poor and middle class families, Mr. Gravel supports the idea of the government sending monthly cash-flow checks.
“Then, you go get your paycheck, and there are no federal deductions,” he said. “Now, that’s pretty good.”
...
“We will turn this country from the largest economic unit in the world to the largest tax haven in the world,” he said. “Money will flow in. Investments will flow in, investments to do things, and that will create jobs.“You’re talking about leading the entire world on an economic thrust forward,” he added.
Liberal Idealist Gives Fair Tax Big Thumbs Up, July 28, 2006
Ron Deval, a humanist, peace activist, and political agnostic strongly supports the FairTax:
Reliably left on most issues, Deval is nonetheless passionate about a tax revolution whose growing army is populated largely by conservatives and libertarians. Describing himself as an "advocate of things that favor humanity," Deval is, in short, a Fair Tax maniac.
Encouragingly, the Land O' Lakes man is not just another guy with an opinion and a couple of Web sites. He can navigate a spread sheet.
After about 20 years designing programs that helped wealthy clients of Northwestern Mutual in Milwaukee and Tampa pass inheritances to their heirs, Deval, 53, became a real estate agent and tax preparer - two professions keenly opposed to seeing the current system, with its designed-in winners and losers, scrapped.
"If all taxpayers knew about the benefits" of the Fair Tax, a proposed national sales tax designed to replace America's current complicated, cumbersome and anti-competitive tax code, "it would pass in a heartbeat," Deval says.
Read the entire article, it will be well worth your time.
TD
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