On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The 56 signers were not professional politicians but ordinary citizens of the day. No, these were simple people including farmers, business owners, lawyers, ministers and physicians what today we would call grassroots leaders. They were people like you and me. The youngest was 26 and the oldest was 70. Imagine 56 citizens crafting a document as profound as the Declaration without the benefit of the Internet, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or a host of political hacks churning out canned ham political spin.
For 241 years, historians have analyzed the lives, motivations and contributions of these 56 patriots. Notwithstanding their incredible vision and articulation, what has always captivated me most about their achievement was how they overcame what must have been overwhelming fear in the face of adversity. Their unflinching belief against taxation without representation provided the fortitude to confront the Crown and its worldwide empire.
Today we find ourselves once again confronting a ruling class that imposes taxation without representation through the federal income tax code. Included in this system is an IRS enforcement arm that, as in 1776, strikes fear in the heart of every American citizen. In 1776, the colonists had to make a choice. They could either continue the status quo or tell the British to pound sand. Their courageous decision quite literally changed the course of history.
In 2017, American citizens again have to make a choice. They can allow the continued proliferation of a tax code that has now surpassed 74,000 pages and is rapidly eating away the very economic fiber of this nation, or, they can tell the ruling class “pound sand” and engage in the campaign to enact H.R. 25, “The FairTax Act of 2017”. H.R. 25 is in essence, the citizen’s Declaration of Taxation Independence. It is the only tax replacement plan before Congress that sets forth a fair, simple and transparent form of taxation.
The FairTax movement is driven by the citizenry and not by the ruling class of Washington. By its very nature, the FairTax embodies the principles envisioned and codified in the original Declaration of Independence. Declaration signer and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin said, “The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy.” The FairTax Plan rights the wrongs of the income tax code by providing a tax code that treats every citizen the same – no exemptions, no loopholes for anyone – no prejudice or oppression.
William Burroughs stated this eloquently when he said, “The only way to finance government in a free society is by the voluntary choice of taxpayers, and no better way to enact it than by a sales tax. End the income tax, a free people do not have to scurry around proving to bureaucrats how they earned their money.”
If you are not actively supporting the FairTax, we invite you to become a part of what is arguably, the largest grassroots tax reform movement in America. Take one minute to send a message to your Representative and become a part of the greatest tax revolution of our lifetime.
Cindy Canevaro served as the executive director of Americans For Fair Taxation and is responsible for many of the gains that have been made. She reluctantly left us only after receiving an offer for her dream job that would allow her to return to Texas. This slightly updated article appeared in 2014 but it certainly is appropriate this July 4th week.
For 241 years, historians have analyzed the lives, motivations and contributions of these 56 patriots. Notwithstanding their incredible vision and articulation, what has always captivated me most about their achievement was how they overcame what must have been overwhelming fear in the face of adversity. Their unflinching belief against taxation without representation provided the fortitude to confront the Crown and its worldwide empire.
Today we find ourselves once again confronting a ruling class that imposes taxation without representation through the federal income tax code. Included in this system is an IRS enforcement arm that, as in 1776, strikes fear in the heart of every American citizen. In 1776, the colonists had to make a choice. They could either continue the status quo or tell the British to pound sand. Their courageous decision quite literally changed the course of history.
In 2017, American citizens again have to make a choice. They can allow the continued proliferation of a tax code that has now surpassed 74,000 pages and is rapidly eating away the very economic fiber of this nation, or, they can tell the ruling class “pound sand” and engage in the campaign to enact H.R. 25, “The FairTax Act of 2017”. H.R. 25 is in essence, the citizen’s Declaration of Taxation Independence. It is the only tax replacement plan before Congress that sets forth a fair, simple and transparent form of taxation.
The FairTax movement is driven by the citizenry and not by the ruling class of Washington. By its very nature, the FairTax embodies the principles envisioned and codified in the original Declaration of Independence. Declaration signer and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin said, “The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy.” The FairTax Plan rights the wrongs of the income tax code by providing a tax code that treats every citizen the same – no exemptions, no loopholes for anyone – no prejudice or oppression.
William Burroughs stated this eloquently when he said, “The only way to finance government in a free society is by the voluntary choice of taxpayers, and no better way to enact it than by a sales tax. End the income tax, a free people do not have to scurry around proving to bureaucrats how they earned their money.”
If you are not actively supporting the FairTax, we invite you to become a part of what is arguably, the largest grassroots tax reform movement in America. Take one minute to send a message to your Representative and become a part of the greatest tax revolution of our lifetime.
Cindy Canevaro served as the executive director of Americans For Fair Taxation and is responsible for many of the gains that have been made. She reluctantly left us only after receiving an offer for her dream job that would allow her to return to Texas. This slightly updated article appeared in 2014 but it certainly is appropriate this July 4th week.