Reader comments
Legislators hear pitch for FairTax

Dump the property tax! Go with a consumption tax! Sounds like a great idea.

Anonymous 12:22,

It is a great idea. Government can take more money from us with sales taxes than it can with property taxes because sales taxes are easier to hide.

Utahns object to high property taxes, but we don't object to high sales taxes. We could finally fund education, transportation, higher education, the arts, recreation, and health care properly by using sales taxes.

Why is it that the media does such a poor job of covering the other side of this story in the public interest.

If you live paycheck to paycheck then under the FairTax you will spend 100 percent of your income on consumption meaning you will be taxed on all you earn - 100 percent. If you are a millionaire that spends only 5 percent of his income to live on and save the rest then he will only be taxed on 5 percent of his income. Oh boy...that really sounds fair to me.

The FairTax is nothing more than a fraud that shifts the tax burden from the wealthiest to the middle class, with a rebate smokescreen thrown in to help a handful of the poorest . Criticism of the FairTax is very rare in the press and that's a crying shame. Hate Radio spends every working hour promoting it on their daily radio programs, yet this tax plan sees no critical analysis in the mainstream media. Make no mistake - this plan was designed by billionaires for billionaires.

John Blixx,
Spokesman, FairTaxFraud Institute.

not so much interested in everything being taxed ...

but rather food sales tax should be bumped up

and property tax should be eliminated

legal and illegal money has to eat ...

True, there's not a lot of critical analysis. But then again, as the self proclaimed anti-Fair Tax expert, I'd think you could at least accurately and intelligently represent the prebate even though you disagree with it.

I hate it when someone belly aches about someone else's idea, but comes up with no better alternative themselves.

Sounds like just an easier way for the rich to get richer and the poor to stay poor. They don't call sales tax "regressive" because of an ability to pay being fair and even handed. It's regressive because those who live paycheck to paycheck will take the biggest hit as a percentage of their income. For the record, American Business stopped investing its profit back into itself long ago. In the 50's, the wealth of our nation was relatively evenly distributed. Today, less than 1 percent of our population is sitting on 90 percent of the wealth - we kibbitz for the last 10 percent. It's too bad people don't wake up and just quit listening to these "snake oil" saleman.

You need to look at all the Fair tax would do. I for one support the Fair Tax. I am self emoployed with a half of dozen employees. If I didn't have to pay for Tax compliance cost I could spend more time and money growing my business. Now I have to hire a payroll company to handle my payroll and an CPA to prepare my returns and how much have I lost in IRS penalties for not getting all the papers filed on time. My employees would be able to take home their entire paycheck. So living Paycheck to paycheck would be much easier. The prebate refunds all taxes up to the poverty level to everyone. And best of all the people that pay no taxes Criminals or illegals will now pay just like everyone else. and as far as the Sales tax being hidden? not so! it is right there on every reciept so you know how much the government is taking from you. And Simple! if you dont want to pay tax don't buy a new car, buy used. same with housing buy used. You possibly could not want the same system to stay in place!

The Fair Tax Plan is the best Tax Plan for the USA. It replaces the IRS that costs Americans and Business 240 billion each year to complete tax returns. It will reduce export prices 22% and bring those exported American Jobs HOME!

The Fair Tax Plan will tax 12 million illegal citizens, the underground economy, and 50 million tourists per year.

The Fair Tax Plan untaxes everyone up to the poverty level with a monthly prebate to pay taxes on necessities. Currently the very poor pay a 22% hidden tax on items they purchase. It is much more porgressive than the current tax system that is the 2nd worst in the world for business.

The Fair Tax Plan taxes spending, not labor or savings.

If you want the government to take care of you, you will probably not like the Fair Tax Plan so big government advocates probably will not support it. But big government is not the solution, it is the problem!

Interested, see www.fairtax.org. Ask your congressman to support the Fair Tax Plan! With your help, it will happen!

Well said, AL and whs806. I absolutely support the Fairtax. I'm bothered by the argument that the FairTax is regressive.

The FairTax offers a monthly prebate to pay for basic necessities. Those who spend only that amount pay no tax; those who spend slightly more pay very little tax; those who spend significantly higher each month pay a much higher amount of tax.

Under FairTax, a very wealthly individual who is willing and able to buy a new car for $1,000,000 will pay $230,000 in tax. Meanwhile, a low-income family who's more likely to buy a used car for $5000 will pay $0 in tax.

Under today's tax system, that low-income family would need to earn $6000, which is subject to income tax and immediately reduced by $1000, in order to take home $5000 to buy that car (which may be still be subject to sales tax). Under FairTax, that family would only need to earn $5,000 to buy a used car for $5,000. If they earned $6,000, they could put the other $1000 in savings, or spend it elsewhere.

How can anyone possibly argue that the FairTax is regressive?

Re: Fairtax Fraud

You mean the Fairtax would encourage good behavior rather than punishing it? That sounds terrible!

John Blixx,
For all your complaining about the media's coverage you don't do such a great job yourself. I am a regular lower middle class American that brings home about 40,000 a year. I buy used cars, live in a used home, most of my furniture was purchased as damaged, or used merchandise that I have fixed up. We buy used clothes for our children because they are cheaper than new. The only things we don't buy used are things we can't buy used, or that we won't by used because of hygiene concerns.

Under the current income tax system I don't pay federal taxes, but I do pay social security, FICA, and overinflated prices on the goods and services I purchase.

Under the fair tax I would recieve the 7.5% of my paycheck that goes to FICA and SS. I may even recieve at least a portion of the other 7.5% that my employer has to pay. I would recieve my prebate check from the government to "reimburse" me for the taxes on my purchases. However that prebate becomes a subsidy BECAUSE I DON'T BUY NEW STUFF. Sounds pretty progressive to me! $8,000/year progressive.

I love the FairTax:

1) Bring home 100% of my paycheck!
2) Never file another tax return!
3) No more government stealing my money! I choose when and where I pay the tax.
4) No more OTHER taxes
- No death tax
- No property tax
- No sales tax
- No income tax
- No social security tax
- No medicare tax
5) No more government meddling in my life.
6) No IRS - need I say more . . .

As an accountant, I have spent so much time just trying to stay in compliance with this tax or that tax. To have just one tax that simple, clear, and straight-forward would be a dream come true. Businesses would be much more efficient without all of the compliance costs of the current complicated tax structure.

I look forward to the day when we can make our country "free" again with a simple FairTax that my children can live in freedom - just as the patriots of generations past have fought for. FairTax means FREEDOM!