10% “Tithe” Tax By Stephen C. Eldridge January 20, 2014
I am a retired lifetime tax consulting professional (JD, LLM in Taxation, CPA, co-author of a 3 volume tax treatise, lecturer), with no financial stake in ANY tax system. This only a brief summary - for supporting details of all comments, call Stephen C. Eldridge tel. 423-532-7337. The so-called “Fair Tax” (“FT”) is a fraud – it is MORE WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION, AND a financial SCAM. In their own words, FT proudly advertises that it is MORE PROGRESSIVE (INCREASES WELFARE). The Prebate is advertised as merely repaying the poor for any FT they pay, but actually would pay them far MORE than any FT they might pay (by “assuming” the poor spend more than the underlying HHS tables and also by “assuming” they will pay FT on ALL of their purchases, but they WON’T) and also gives the working (and perhaps some non-working) poor free SS/Medi. The Prebate is NOT a refund of FT paid, it is a new $600B ENTITLEMENT, leaving ALL Americans receiving a monthly check from the federal govt – a very bad idea for those of us who are not Socialists. More poor people will be receiving free SS/Medi. The FT produces a 40-70% in-your-face retail sales tax that would spark a taxpayer rebellion that would destroy our 70% retail-sales-sensitive economy. 40% = 30% (not 23%) FT + e.g., 10% S/L sales tax and 70% is the rate needed at a sample 30% FT evasion rate (the FT incredibly assumes ZERO evasion and ZERO intentional reduction in spending and ZERO migration from new to used goods). IN ADDITION to that 40-70% tax, the FT contains several HIDDEN TAXES. 1) FT’s 30% rate is really 42+%; the 12+% is hidden by having fed + S/L govts paying FT – ultimately, they must get that money from you. 2) The initial 30% rate is 1-5% short and that plus any other revenue shortfall will have to be made up by raising more FT (or a NEW Income Tax), 3) The fed budget will rise for a) higher SS benefits and higher COLA’s payable to all federal retirees, both induced by FT’s price increase of nearly 30%, and for b) fraudulent new SS benefits invited by FT’s removal of the “tax penalty” for reporting SS Wages, – more FT (or a NEW Income Tax) we be required to fund these. The NEW IRS (i.e., the STAA) may well be far worse, far more invasive than today’s IRS (the buyer is liable to pay FT and get/show a receipt) – we may well have to file an “Annual FT Summary”. We may well wind up with BOTH a NEW Income Tax AND the FT. Seniors will start to pay for SS/Medi again and some will pay a 2nd-3rd tax on their earnings. Many middle class seniors will pay more tax under FT and many will lose purchasing power because of the 15-30% price increase and because of higher S/L & federal taxes required because they must pay FT and can only get the funds from us. The FT promises grand economic benefits which are all UNPREDICTABLE - mere Hype & Change. What we need is a Flat Income Tax with No Deductions, No Exemptions, No Credits and a 10% rate, with business income taxed to shareholders on a very simple basis (i.e., no corporate income tax) - See H.R. 1040, but with changes as noted here (IRS is neutered, 1 page tax filing, everyone pays - more evolutionary). Call your representatives in Congress and let them know that this is what you want. 30 vs 23%
My point is that people will be faced with combined 35-40% SALES taxes and will revolt at that sticker shock. Stephen C. Eldridge Received January 16, 2014 - Published January 20, 2014 Related Viewpoint:
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