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Fair Tax to
become a national issue
By Bob Robinson
GREENVILLE – “The good thing about this election year is we’ve made
Fair Tax a national issue. We currently have 100 to 120 supporters in
the House,” said Steve Curtis, Ohio director of Americans for Fair
Taxation. “This year will be about creating the next wave of
supporters.”
Curtis told Republicans and guests at the Republican Men’s Club meeting
Feb. 15 the organization’s focus was to put Republicans in the House
and Senate who support the Fair Tax. “If they don’t support it, we try
to find a primary opponent to run against them,” he said. After noting
an incumbent typically wins 90 percent of the time, he said “We did
this successfully 85 percent of the time.”
Curtis listed three numbers: 218, 60 and 1. “That’s what it will take
to change the tax laws… 218 House members, 60 Senators and one
president.”
He told the group they hoped to have the needed supporters after the
2016 election, and maybe get someone in the White House who won’t veto
it. “We plan to make sure the presidential candidates answer the
question,” he said.
The concept of the Fair Tax is simple. You pay your taxes when you make
your purchases. No more payroll taxes. No more special interest
exemptions. No more complex tax code. Employers no longer have to
collect taxes on behalf of the federal government. No more IRS.
“Nobody will stand up and say ‘I understand the tax code,’” Curtis
said. “Even IRS agents sometimes say they aren’t sure about something
in it… but you will be held responsible if they’re wrong.”
Curtis noted the sales tax dollars will be collected by the state. The
state will send the money to Washington rather than Washington
controlling the states by sending them dollars and telling them how to
use them.
“And there will be no more IRS,” Curtis said. “We can move IRS
employees over to Homeland Security. They’ve been terrorizing taxpayers
for years… now they can terrorize the terrorists.”
Curtis said the current tax codes make the employee “essentially a
slave of the federal government… they decide what you can keep.” With
the Fair Tax the consumers decide how much they’re going to pay with
their purchases.
The plan is revenue neutral, meaning it would not increase or decrease
federal revenues. Curtis estimated the tax would be around 24 percent.
To protect the lowest income brackets, no one would pay a sales tax
until their purchases exceeded the poverty level.
Curtis covered a variety of issues with the current tax system,
including its impact on trade.
“We have 20 percent extra cost built into our products and services,”
he said. “This is a problem for exports, making it harder to compete
with similar foreign products and services.” The Fair Tax only applies
to retail sales of new products and services. It will apply to imports
as well as American products.
Curtis estimated taxes and border adjustments alone would cut the
unemployment rate by as many as five million jobs.
The Republican Men’s Club meets the third Saturday of each month in the
cafeteria at Brethren Retirement Community. Meetings are open to the
public.
Published courtesy
of The Early Bird
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