FAIRTAX—THE VACCINE FOR MANY OF OUR PROBLEMS
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “vaccine” as: a preparation of dead microorganisms, living attenuated organisms, or living fully virulent organisms that is administered to produce or artificially increase immunity to a particular disease.
While there have been some mixed reactions from people about the COVID-19 vaccines, there has been a noticeable sigh of relief on a global scale. There is now some glimmer of hope that we can return to a more normal life—without masks, without social distancing and without any more lockdowns and forced business closures.
However, a more normal life will still have the income/payroll tax system and all the problems that come with it. This antiquated, incomprehensible and corrupt system has served to enrich and empower the Ruling Class in DC for over a hundred years, but it’s never worked well for the American taxpayer. The fact that we continue to tolerate it is nothing short of insane.
A law that’s been in place for over a hundred years will generally have its share of supporters and defenders. If there’s a debate about repealing that law, its supporters can usually make a decent case for keeping it. This is not the case with the present income/payroll tax system.
Even among the economists, politicians, tax experts and bureaucrats who support the income/payroll tax, none have tried to deny that under the FAIRtax:
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “vaccine” as: a preparation of dead microorganisms, living attenuated organisms, or living fully virulent organisms that is administered to produce or artificially increase immunity to a particular disease.
While there have been some mixed reactions from people about the COVID-19 vaccines, there has been a noticeable sigh of relief on a global scale. There is now some glimmer of hope that we can return to a more normal life—without masks, without social distancing and without any more lockdowns and forced business closures.
However, a more normal life will still have the income/payroll tax system and all the problems that come with it. This antiquated, incomprehensible and corrupt system has served to enrich and empower the Ruling Class in DC for over a hundred years, but it’s never worked well for the American taxpayer. The fact that we continue to tolerate it is nothing short of insane.
A law that’s been in place for over a hundred years will generally have its share of supporters and defenders. If there’s a debate about repealing that law, its supporters can usually make a decent case for keeping it. This is not the case with the present income/payroll tax system.
Even among the economists, politicians, tax experts and bureaucrats who support the income/payroll tax, none have tried to deny that under the FAIRtax:
- The economy will grow much faster.
- The tax system will no longer be subsidizing imports, punishing U.S. exports and sending well-paying jobs overseas.
- Tax evasion, taxes legally owed, will be greatly reduced. If you want to pay less taxes then buy less or purchase used goods.
- The enormous compliance costs associated with the income tax will be reduced by close to 90%.
- Most lower and middle income Americans will have more money to spend on their families. They’ll bring home their full paychecks with no withholding or payroll taxes, plus they’ll get the FAIRtax prebate every month.
- All individual income tax returns will be eliminated. Only those businesses engaged in retail sales will have to deal with collecting and remitting the FAIRtax.
- The IRS will be eliminated and only a small department of the Treasury will be needed to audit the state agencies collecting the FAIRtax to ensure that the amounts collected are received by the Treasury.
- Americans will no longer have to beg Congress and the bureaucrats to let them keep more of their earnings.
- The tax code will be stable. Individuals and businesses will no longer have to deal with a myriad of ever-changing tax laws that make long-term planning almost impossible.
- The tax code will be easily understandable. No one will have to pay any fees for professional help with their taxes.
- The wealthy and special interests will no longer be able to purchase tax benefits for which we have to pay with higher taxes.
- For the first time in over a hundred years, Americans will see the cost of the federal government because the amount of the FAIRtax will be shown on every receipt.
- When the income tax is eliminated, the cost of doing business goes down. In a competitive market, when costs go down then retail prices go down.
While some of these economists, politicians and bureaucrats don’t fully agree with the exact wording of some of the points above, very few of them try to dispute the data. Why then would these groups not immediately join us in vigorously demanding that the FAIRtax replace the income tax?
The answer is simple—these economists, politicians and bureaucrats view the present income/payroll tax system as essential to their income. When the FAIRtax is enacted:
- Economists can no longer command large fees for writing papers and giving speeches about how to improve the income/payroll tax system.
- Bureaucrats fear that losing the huge IRS bureaucracy will possibly threaten their jobs by sparking interest in investigating the size and activities of other bureaucracies.
- Tax experts will no longer receive enormous fees for helping businesses and individuals claw back some of their money that was paid in taxes.
- Politicians, who are spending a good part of their day trying to raise funds, can no longer extort large donations from special interest groups and tax lobbyists looking to buy favorable tax treatment.
- Politicians will also lose one of their most effective tools for gaining and maintaining control over our lives. They can no longer threaten our ability to plan and provide for our families by constantly threatening to confiscate more of our money by changing the income/payroll tax system.
Obviously, none of these people will openly reveal their real reasons for supporting the income tax. But some will admit in private that the FAIRtax is definitely a superior system. They just don’t want to see it enacted until after they retire.
What is their most commonly stated reason for opposing the FAIRtax? The FAIRtax is not fair. What? They know that the payroll tax system is the most regressive tax of all and that the income tax is only considered “fair” by people who are profiting from it—not anyone else.
No one likes taxes. No one likes to go to the dentist to fill a cavity. However, if you have to collect taxes then it should be through a system that lets people get all of their money and then they choose not only how much they pay in federal taxes, but also when they pay their taxes in the simplest manner possible.
The FAIRtax is still a tax but it is much fairer than the income/payroll tax. The opponents know this but their reasoning is clouded by their need to protect their own livelihoods—just like buggy whip makers who opposed the early automobiles.
CONCLUSION
It is time to consider not only the COVID-19 vaccine but also to look to a vaccine that can cure so many of our present problems—the FAIRtax. The FAIRtax will not require an injection—just courage. Courage on Congress’s part to pass it, and courage on the President’s part to sign it.
St. Augustine said, Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.
With respect to our current system of taxation, Americans need to clearly express our anger at the way things are and have the courage to see that they do not remain the way they are.
After the tumultuous election and all of the uncertainty over what is going to come, a good friend of mine and board member of the Florida Fairtax Educational Association sent me this quote taken from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens,
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
GREED AND A DESIRE TO CONTROL PEOPLE’S LIVES ARE THE ONLY REAL REASONS ANYONE WOULD OPPOSE PASSING THE FAIRTAX!
If you have friends who don’t know about the FAIRtax, send them to FAIRtax.org. Have them watch the white boards under “How It Works” and, if they agree, ask them to please join us.
Then contact your Members of Congress and the President and demand that Congress pass -the FAIRtax—the only fair tax.
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.”
Is it hopeless? When confronted with a seemingly impossible problem, remember the statement attributed to the author George Bernard Shaw who wrote, You see things; and you say “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and I say “Why not?”
Isn’t it time for us to ask, “Why not?”
Yours In Liberty! Yours In Freedom!
Steve Hayes
Chairman, Americans For Fair Taxation
Websites & Online-Social Media - can be accessed by clicking here
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