Give me your best ammunition against the "Fair Tax"

[TheFarseer]

better known as the National Sales Tax. There is some chode on radio right now saying, it's better because you choose how much tax you pay. That's true, if you want to drive a car you found in some tall grass, have your mom cut your hair and eat out of dumpsters, you won't need to pay any tax.

Some of their other points are, drug dealers don't pay any tax currently (as if you would pay sales tax on drugs :eyes:)

it only taxes income once (why the hell is that such a big selling point?)

It rewards saving instead of spending.

I want your counter points

[yurbud]

1. when Thatcher enacted a form of flat tax, that was the end of her career

[jsamuel]

2. poor/middle class will pay extreamly high amounts of their money

compared to those who are rich and able to save


Those who are well off can buy things outside the country and therefore, never pay taxes.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. It puts a burden on the poor

right now, for example, the income tax has a child credit. If they do away with income tax and make this flat tax, suddenly there is no child credit, but food is taxed to the point that many people won't be able to feed their families.

And lets remember, the flat tax doesn't tax investment income-again, a tax in favor of the investor class while screwing the working poor.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

4. The "it only taxes income once" is a pile of crap.

Many, if not most sales taxes are locally applied. Either at the state or local level.
Is the Federal government going to tell the States what they can and cannot tax now? Isn't that a whole mess of violatin' "STATES RIGHTS!!!" violations if suddenly the Federal government says "no, you cannot place a tax on food anymore because we've applied a 40% tax against it!"
And it will cripple poorer households much more than it will rich households.

The "Fair Tax" is anything but.
(I'm not a financial whiz, but there are those here that can handle this argument better than I can.

[WinkyDink]

5. Oh, for Pete's sake.

Who DOESN'T know how regressive this is? That the poor and struggling will pay even more for sustenance, while the Paris Hiltons won't even notice the effects?

Good grief.

[TheFarseer]

6. but but but

the poor get a "prebate" That's why it's not regressive. I don't believe that, but that's what they're selling

[fredtaylor]

9. Paris Hilton

Would be too stupid to notice a 99% tax rate. Did I mention that she's stupid?

[Ready4Change]

7. People unable to save are taxed at a higher rate than others.

If you entire paycheck goes to purchases, then you are taxed on it all, and are never able to save and earn interest.

However, if you have excess to invest, then that investement is pre-tax. It can enjoy compound interest tax free, a perk unobtainable by the less affluent.

Thus a pure sales tax is a regressive tax. It penalizes the weak and coddles the strong.

[sweetheart]

10. yes, up to a certain amount...

all income goes to consumption, and only when that threashhold income
of sustinance is met, does the option of saving exist.

And if such a tax had an exeption for all food, clothing, housing and
necessities, it might come closer to its mnemonic, "fair tax".

It is fair to tax at the point of "using" the industrial complex, and
i think it a wise way to structure a progressive tax, using computers
to implment a progressive fair tax... but as suggested, the poor
conumers will pay most of their incomes in to the tax, and it is not
the least bit fair.

Or perhaps we should just be shameless and bring back slavery, as it
seems it is all these republicans really want behind every crack in
their straussian ruse.

[fredtaylor]

8. National sales tax

Does NOT take into account any state and/or local taxes. That's the big negative.

The "drug dealer" comment is like this...they get their money illegally in cash, IE: no income taxes can be withheld from that exchange. When they go buy new cars, clothes, etc. then is when they pay taxes. Plus any foriegn visitor would pay taxes on anything they buy when they come into the US. Same goes for Illegals, they get paid in cash, so when they go buy whatever, that is when they pay taxes.

Those people who are below the poverty line will get a monthly check (based on something) to cover the expenses of basic necessities of life. That makes the counterpoint of it affecting the poor moot.

It's a Libertarian push right now with Boortz being the head spokesman for it.

We need some tax fix in the US, but this ain't it, in my opinion.