I liked the idea of the Fair Tax when I ran across it on the national level. It claims to be revenue neutral, meaning that things (government programs and the funding amounts for them) remain the same. Just the way in which the government gets it’s money changes. The Income Tax would be scrapped in favor of a larger (9.25%) sales tax or “consumption” tax. See link below for a previous post I wrote about my views. Since then I haven’t found any defects in the plan that would outweigh the benefits.
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http://conservativeinmuskegon.blogspot.com/2008/05/fair-tax-what-say-you.html
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Michigan has a “fair tax” bill currently before the legislature. It is a clone of the national “fair tax” plan. The bill according to the site would charge 9.25% sales tax. Personal state income tax would no longer exist. Currently that averages over 4%. Again that revenue neutral concept comes into play. A big advantage for Michigan I feel would be the instant across the board tax breaks (none=0=nada business tax). Companies would quit leaving and start coming back to Michigan. Below a link to it.
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http://www.mifairtax.org/
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From the site above I see Jack Hoogendyk is a cosponsor of the bill along with a lot of others.
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http://www.mifairtax.org/news-docs/Cosponsors.pdf
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Below a link to the actual corrections in bold to the existing laws.
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http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2007-2008/jointresolutionintroduced/House/pdf/2007-HIJR-L.pdf
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A “fair tax calculator” NOTE THIS IS FOR THE FEDERAL “FAIR TAX PLAN”
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http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=calculator&autologin=true
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When I filled out the calculator. It dawned on me that the poor people who don’t file now would have to file somehow in order to get the prebate. National and State. I wonder if someone has thought through the inevitable fraud issues. I’m thinking fraud similar to the dead people receiving welfare checks and SS checks that type of thing. Well I’ll keep digging. Maybe do some calling or emailing to Jack Hoogendyk for some clarification. Maybe Nick at Right Michigan would have some answers also. I’ll check.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
Edit. Made a search of Right Michigan and came up with a list of post Nick has made about the "fair tax" See my side bar under "Xtra Links For Current Posts".
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5 comments:
Thanks for spreading the love.
Fulton Sheen has worked hard on the fair tax idea too. It's an intruiging concept but the devil is in the details re: the execution. But isn't it always?
--Nick
www.RightMichigan.com
You're right Michigan Nick. The devil's in the details. So is the work. I see you've been at it for the Fair Tax for a long time. Thanks for the effort.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative
The Fair Tax is is anything but "fair". It's an abominably regressive tax that helps the well to do while taxing the poor even more than they are now. If you want to pay less taxes the time and money spent promoting this monstrosity could much better be spent working to elect people to government that would cut spending and taxes. Ron Paul is endorsing many candidates for national office that would do just that. Including one in Michigan. Her name is Linda Goldthorpe and she's running for Congress in Michigan's 1st District. Her website is www.goldthorpeforcongress.com . There are other equally outstanding candidates endorsed by him running in other states that could use support. On the State level there are a lot of good Republicans running to unseat the Democrats that have caused so much grief. Instead of working to replace one tax with an even more onerous one, work in electing people that would cut spending and taxes both.
I would also like to add that any "prebate" the poor might get would be far less than they actually paid or be left out entirely. Also the tax wouldn't stay at 9.5% for long before some "crises" came along and it would need to be raised. Also there would be all sorts of loopholes for lobbyists and their ilk. That's just the way government's work. Save your energy and elect people to office that have a lick of common sense.
Welcome Curtis.
Your idea of electing candidates that will cut spending and taxes I definately agree with. I'm still working on the fair tax idea good or bad. Obviously you think it more onerous than the system we have now. I'm trying to figure why exactly. I'm not sure of what you claim about hurting the poor more than others. I would save money from that prebate. I'm poor. Which poor people are you referring to? If anybody wants to buy something above their means now it is hard on them to pay for it. It is painful. The prebate would cover the functional level. It would be a positive revenue producer above the functional level. Nearly every thing the people you call rich buy is above that level. They aren't driving my 1993 pick up, More like a 2008 lexus. They would pay I wouldn't. I agree that I would be hurt more if I bought and tried to pay for a lexus, but that would happen under either system. Perhaps the "poor" people you talk of are the ones who should learn a lick of common sense. I have some and live within my means, I wouldn't mind being rewarded for a change instead of the people lacking common sense.
Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative.
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