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Chairman's Report - March 1, 2019

WHY ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ SHOULD EMBRACE THE FAIRTAX!

The newly elected Congresswoman, who represents the 14th District in New York, is certainly creating quite an impact.  Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez makes dramatic statements and whether you agree or disagree with her, many of her proposals are forcing all sides to take a position.  Most politicians believe that they should take a position on controversial issues only if they are forced to at the point of a gun.  Why should they alienate any potential supporter?

 Whether you agree with her or not, she doesn’t first check with the Swamp or poll her constituents, but she says what she believes.
 
The Congresswoman states that her proposals will ensure a better life for all Americans.  To those of us who live outside of D.C, a better life for Americans is a noble idea.   However, the definition of “what is a better life” and “how do we get there” is where there is widespread disagreement.
 
Without considering her specific proposals on how to achieve “a better life” or looking at other alternatives that might be dramatically different from her proposals, we all can agree that all of the proposals require funding from the government and/or from the private sector. 
What are some elements of “a better life” on which most of us can agree?  They are:

  • Well-paying jobs for all who want one
  • American-produced goods are not penalized when compared with imported goods
  • Access to medical and dental care
  • A cleaner and more sustaining environment
  • Safe and efficient infrastructure repairs
  • Education for all
  • A sane immigration policy
  • A financially secure Social Security system 

 
Your list might be different, but one of the things that all can agree on is the first one, well-paying jobs for all who want one.  In later articles, we can show how the FAIRtax will help achieve the other items on the above list, but it is clear that the FAIRtax will help create more well-paying jobs for all who want one.
 
Now some people might say that all you need to do is have the government pass legislation requiring a higher minimum wage or a guaranteed base income for all.  However, for many employers, a rapid increase in labor costs may make them unable to compete with imported products that are subsidized by our income/payroll tax system. 
 
There are those who point to the growing federal debt and say that we must find a way to do it through the private sector. There is a workable way—make employees more valuable.  
 
COMPARE NEW YORK CITY AND FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA FAST FOOD WORKERS
 
Here are some facts:

  • The minimum wage in North Dakota is $7.25 per hour which translates to $7.25 times 40 equals $290 per week. 
  • The minimum wage in New York City is $11.10 per hour which translates to $11.10 times 40 equals $444 per week.
  • A fast food worker in Fargo, North Dakota earns $10.24 per hour which equals $410 per week or $21,299 per year. 
  • A fast food worker in New York City earns $11.32 per hour which equals $453 per week or $24,547 per year.
  • According to the New York Department of Labor, the unemployment rate in New York City was 4%. 
  • The unemployment rate in North Dakota was 2.7%.
  • The cost of living in New York City is 118% higher than in Fargo, North Dakota. 

If a fast food worker in Fargo moved to New York City and wanted to have the same standard of living they would have to earn 118% of $10.24 per hour or about $22.50 per hour.  For the New York City worker to have a similar standard of living to the worker in Fargo, they would have to earn $22.50 per hour or almost double the minimum wage.
 
The question then is why a worker in Fargo is paid $3.00 per hour more than the minimum wage?   The reason is directly tied to the unemployment rate.  Workers are in short supply.  In order to attract workers in Fargo the fast food owners have to pay more.  They also have to hire and train people who may not have the right skills because they can’t get more skilled people who have taken higher paying jobs.
 
If the unemployment rate in New York City were to fall to 2.7%, then there would be pressure to not only pay fast food workers more but also to train people who are less qualified. 
 
HOW THE FAIRTAX WILL HELP BRING UNEMPLOYMENT DOWN MORE
 
Here are the facts:

  • There is no longer a debate among economists that the FAIRtax will grow the economy more rapidly than the present income/payroll tax system. 
  • Because capital is not taxed, investment capital will pour into the U.S.
  • More capital investment will lead to higher productivity.
  • Higher productivity will lead to higher wages for all workers.
  • Unemployment rates will plummet even more.
  • Retail prices will be lower by at least ten percent.
  • Companies will be forced to recruit and train previously unemployable people and pay them higher wages and provide more benefits to keep them from moving on to higher- paid employment.

CONCLUSION
 
Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and many of her supporters don’t trust the activities of the Swamp and their supporters in Congress—and they shouldn’t.  The Swamp is only interested in policies that protect the interests of the people and groups who pay them.  They may protest that they care about the rest of us but, given a choice between policies that pay them a very high income and one that serves the good of the rest of us, they choose not to reduce their income.
 
Increasing the minimum wage, as New York City has done, will only lead to more pressure on minimum wage employers to find ways to automate and reduce the number of minimum wage workers they employ—if the overall economy doesn’t improve.  If business is booming, all employers will be competing to attract and retain workers and this will lead not only to higher wages but also to necessity for employers to spend time and money educating workers.
 
This will lead to workers with improved skills and this is vital.  A study published by Bain & Company concluded that “By the end of the 2020s, automation may eliminate 20% to 25% of current jobs, hitting middle- to low-income workers the hardest.”  The new training employers will be required to provide will enable many of these workers not to be replaced but continue to advance in their chosen areas of employment.
 
Not only will the FAIRtax enable more people to be employed at higher wages, it will also allow more spending by people and more revenue into the federal treasury.  This should be very appealing to anyone that really cares about doing the best for the American people. 
 
Isn’t it time to take back control from D.C.?​
 
President Trump, “Embrace the FAIRtax and real tax reform!  What have you got to lose?”
 
It is time to PASS THE FAIRTAX! 
 
The truth is the truth.  Remember, if we don't continue to tell the truth and demand a change, then this quote from George Orwell's 1984 may foretell our children's future:

“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—forever.”


WHAT CAN EACH OF US DO
 

Call up the local or D.C. offices of your House Member and two Senators and you can use the following script:
  • I am sure that Representative ____ or Senator ____ is in favor of everyone obeying the income tax laws.
  • After they assure you that their boss is not in favor of anyone breaking the law, ask if they are aware of the Cebula study showing $9 trillion of evaded income/payroll taxes over the next ten years.
  • Since most will say they don’t believe their boss has seen the study, either drop off a copy or get an email address and send a copy to them for their boss.
  • Say you are going to call back in a week and ask what the Representative or Senator is going to do to stop this evasion.
  • In a week, call back and ask specifically what the Representative or Senator is going to do to enforce the law.
  • They probably will say their boss believes that simplifying the income tax will handle the problem.
  • Explain that when people evade income taxes, they are also evading the 15.3% payroll/Medicare tax and state income tax.  So it is unlikely that they are going to pay 30% or 40% when they were paying 0% because they have already decided it is okay to cheat.
  • Say that the only way to reduce evasion is to increase by tens or hundreds of thousands the number of comprehensive IRS audits done each year.
  • Point out that Evaders do not self-identify by putting an “E” on their income tax return.
  • 80% of the people likely to be audited are trying to comply, but they will be forced to endure these IRS audits as well.
  • Ask if the Member is in favor of this?
  • If they say no, then ask again how the Member proposes to stop people breaking the income tax laws.
  • Then explain that the way to handle evasion without unleashing the IRS audits is the FAIRtax.  

If you can see your Member or attend a town hall and ask these questions, you can be even more effective.


FAIRTAX POWER RADIO

#149 The $400 Billion Drag on the American Economy
 
This episode starts by discussing a few “how will it work” questions from viewers.  How will the Prebate be distributed?  Will it require a huge bureaucracy like the IRS to send out the Prebate payments.
 
Will we need a huge federal bureaucracy to collect the FAIRtax from the consumer? 
 
Interesting questions and interesting answers. 
 
Who pays the compliance costs?  Whether they pay income tax or not, every American pays thousands of dollars to comply with the income tax either directly or indirectly. According to a report by The Tax Foundation, the compliance costs due to the income tax is over $400 Billion annually.  And yes, EVERYONE pays - one way or the other.
 
The FAIRtax Guys give you the gory details including how many hours you waste each year just doing income tax paperwork - not just filling out the return, but all the record keeping too.  What a mess!
 
Listen to this episode and consider what a drag the income tax is on the American economy.  
 
If you believe the FAIRtax is good for America, let others know by turning them onto FAIRtax Power Radio - the ONLY weekly FAIRtax digital TV show in the country!  Watch every Wednesday at 11:30 AM (ET).  We are streaming to Facebook LIVE (www.facebook.com/fairtax).  If you’re not a fan of Facebook, you can watch the show on www.xcluded.tv at the same broadcast time - or any time. 
 
FTPR podcasts for each show are posted on Spreaker (http://bit.ly/2oesbk7), iTunes & iHeart Radio every Friday morning.  A free FAIRtax Power Radio app is available for iOS and Android.  Since it’s a podcast, you can download it and play it whenever it’s convenient for you.
 
The FTPR weekly episodes are shared to a number of Facebook pages:

www.xcluded.tv is a subscription based site which costs $30 per year and features a number of other shows along with FTPR with no commercial interruption.
 
Please help us educate as many Americans about the FAIRtax as possible.  Be sure to tell everyone you know about this great new format for FAIRtax Power Radio.  Whether you watch the weekly video or listen to the weekly podcast, this is a great way for more Americans to learn about the best tax reform plan in Congress at this time.
 
Tune into our video broadcast each Wednesday.  Or, if you prefer, you can listen to the podcast of the show later.  You can listen to FTPR on any platform - Mac or PC, iPhone or Android. And it’s 100% free.  Listen on Spreaker.com (http://bit.ly/2oesbk7), iTunes (http://apple.co/1Te8VdF) or iHeart Radio (http://bit.ly/2eqEG7y) on your computer or smartphone.  The easiest way to listen to FTPR on your smartphone is by downloading the free FTPR app.  Just search for “FAIRtax Power Radio” in your app store, download the app and start listening.  
 
Remember, FTPR digital TV every Wednesday at 11:30 AM (ET) followed by the podcast on Friday morning.  Please listen and tell everyone you know about the FAIRtax Power Radio.  The FAIRtax: Once You Understand It, You’ll Demand It!
 
A SIMPLE INTRO TO THE FAIRTAX - AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION
 
America’s Big Solution provides a starting point in your study of the FAIRtax and is meant for people of any age.  And you can download it to your tablet or smartphone right now.  It’s also available in print form.  See below.

Do you know someone who would like an introduction to the FAIRtax and would prefer to read about it in a booklet rather than search online for Tweets, Posts and Shares?  If so, America’s Big Solution is their best choice.
 
America’s Big Solution is an introduction to the FAIRtax written by Terry Tibbetts, author of A Spartan Game: The Life and Loss of Don Holleder, with help from Ron Maiellaro, President of the Florida FAIRtax Educational Association.  
 
You can buy an electronic version of ABS as follows:  AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION is available for only $2.99 for the Amazon Kindle (http://amzn.to/1WIRHry), the Barnes & Noble Nook (http://bit.ly/1XeG8bH) and Apple iOS (http://apple.co/1tnqK0P).  
 
You can purchase a print copy at the same Amazon link above for $9.25.  Regardless of whether you choose the electronic format or the print format, you’ll find AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION will give someone the boost they need to begin their study of the FAIRtax and the suggested resources to learn more. Buy AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION now!
 
LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION
 
These links will help you promote and support the FAIRtax, make yourself familiar with the links below. We always do our best to keep our AFFT community up to date, and you can stay ahead of the curve using these convenient sites.

 
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