Huckabee and The Fair Tax - A Match Made In Heaven

Much has been made about Governor Mike Huckabee's success
with social conservatives. They came out with enthusiasm to support the former Southern Baptist minister in Iowa and helped push him into both the winning slot, but the national spotlight as well.

But the pundits, either by ineptitude (see all the news coverage by the major news outlets in the last 20 years), or choice, have missed the silent support that The Fair Taxers have given him.

Huckabee and The Fair Tax: The Real Reason For His Success

As a baptist minister (and I'm guessing a pretty damn good one from what I've seen of him on television) he brings the progressive attitude that seems to lean toward favoring "The Less Fortunate".

The Fair Tax may well just do that. Ignored or derided by the mainstream media, the 23% National Sales Tax (there's just a little more to it than that) has been gaining support for years, slowly, with the help of a conservative (he says he Libertarian) talk show host Neal Boortz, and FairTax.org.

As the primaries move south, this is an issue that the mainstream media will hopefully no longer be able disregard this idea.

Now lets just hope they present the plan based on the facts. I doubt Anderson Cooper will read "The Fair Tax Book", or it's follow up "Answering The Critics".

Ron Paul And The Fair Tax: Can I support both?

So, as you can see, I'm both a fan of Ron Paul, and The Fair Tax.

But does Ron Paul Support the Fair tax?

Actually, it appears that there is not a clear answer to this. He has suggested that he would vote for the Fair Tax if brought to a vote on the house floor, but he does not think its the best possible solution either.

I can understand his position actually. The fair tax would not reduce government income. Those reductions would have to come later.

One of the main problems I have with the Fair Tax, is that it is inclusive. I want people to see how much tax they pay.

For me, the situation is simple. I do not support all of Ron Paul's positions, but that doesn't mean I can't support him. He may indeed be the President that would sign the Fair Tax law, something no candidate (except Mike Gravel) is offering to make a priority, and I'm sure he'd be more likely to force Congress to cut spending than any other major candidate in the race.

Ron Paul is the best chance we have to start to take our government back. If that means the Fair Tax has to wait another 5 years, I'll make that trade and not think twice.

Of course, both would be nice

The Fair Tax: Can it help the U.S. compete with the Euro?

If you've been to Europe lately, you may have noticed how weak the U.S. dollar is right now.

The Euro is strong, and there have even been whispers here in America about a new North American Union, a E.U. style body, complete with a common money. (The Amero?)

This blog isn't about NWO (The New World Order) and its attempt to globalize government and the economy, though I do feel my readers should acquaint themselves with this topic. Agree or disagree with the NWO movement, you need to know about it. (I strongly disagree, for the record).

This is a blog about The Fair Tax, and how it can help resurrect the dollar's power in Europe and the world.

The Fair Tax would give the U.S. the title of "wolds best tax haven". Many of the businesses who moved overseas would move back, new businesses would be created, and businesses that had never thought about moving to the U.S. would jump on the first plane here.

Implementation would spur the economy, and it would be real growth, unlike much of the dot.com bubble which was over-inflated, just as our taxes are today.

The Fair Tax would resurrect the dollar, and put the U.S. back on the growth map, and set an example for states and countries all over the world.

The Fair Tax is NOT A Tax cut. It can be, because its a tax you choose to pay. It could also mean a tax rate for people who aren't frugal, but again, they choose to pay the tax, that's why its called The Fair Tax. Its a different way of collecting taxes. The only problem I have with the Fair Tax, is the fact that it is not embedded. I'd like for us to know how much we pay the federal government every time we see the receipt. I bet taxes would go down then, but that's my humble opinion.

So, say no to the NWO movement, to the plunging dollar, and a sputtering economy.

Say yes to the Fair Tax. Its the choice that lets you choose how much you contribute to your government.

The Fair Tax Is The Best Solution For American Taxpayers

As someone who considers himself a conservative (even if nobody else does), I generally like to concentrate on social issues, the issues that I tend to disagree with other "conservatives" on. There are two main reasons for this

1. I like to argue. If I concentrated on taxes and spending, I couldn't highlight the differences between myself and the Republican party, and have good-spirited debates with other conservatives on the issues. So I agree with a lot of Democrats on a lot of social issues, that's okay with me. Be sure, they'll have their chance to disagree with me, and now might be a good chance.

2. After much thought and some reservations, I've decided to support the Fair Tax. To me, the Fair Tax would solve most of the problems associated with today's complicated tax code, and would give the power back to the taxpayer.

I'd like to discuss the Fair Tax with you. That being said, I'm not going into too much detail, because I don't want to bore you (its figures and taxes, fun!!). I do, however, have resources. ---

Basically, the Fair Tax is an embedded 23% sales tax on retail purchases. This has nothing to do with either state sales taxes, or Social Security taxes. These taxes won't change. But everything you buy (at the retail level) would contain a 23% embedded sales tax, which would replace the income tax.

Q: How did they come up with 23%

A: This is the average income tax embedded into each item you buy. For instance, if you buy a TV for $100, 23% of that went to pay income taxes for the people who made it, shipped it, and sold it

Also, each family would receive what is called a "prebate" from the government each month. This "prebate" would equal the amount of taxes that someone would spend for the basic necessities. If you only buy what you have to, you don't pay taxes (this is where the "prebate" kicks in). If you buy a luxury item, or more than is necessary to live on, you pay a tax on those items.

Q: Will this mean less money will be paid to the government

A: NO, this is a revenue-Neutral tax. The Government should take in the same amount of money. It is also not a tax cut. It is just a different (and simpler) way of collecting taxes.

The Fair Tax would eliminate the need for April 15th (not the day, but the tax deadline) for individuals. It would put business in charge of tax record-keeping and writing the check to the government each quarter. The IRS probably couldn't be eliminated (there would still be a need for some oversight, but not on the level we have today), but it would be reduced dramatically.

Also, that extra 23% that you'd pay for the item would eventually decrease, (the businesses don't have to pay the income tax, anymore and competition would reduce the price). A few years ago, an airline tax expired, and congress forgot to re-instate it. Before the end of the next day, almost all of the airlines had reduced their ticket price by about the same amount as that tax. It only took one company, trying to get a few extra customers, to get the ball started.

Q: Will I still be able to deduct things like student loan interest, and business expenses?

A: NO. You would not pay income taxes, therefore there would be no reason to deduct these items.

Q: What about my retirement, will it be affected?

A: YES. You won't have to pay income taxes on that money, or interest made from that money.

Q: The-G-Blog, you make it sound so simple, is it?

A: NO. I don't have time to go into really specific details. I've linked the sites and books below to help you gather information, and I'll be glad (and I hope some of my other readers that have more knowledge than I do) try to answer any specific questions you have in the comments, but ultimately, you are going to have to really look at the proposal to see what you think.

The Fair Tax bill has been re-introduced in this Congress (Senate S 1025, and House H25). It has some bi-partisan support, but it needs more. Rep Charlie Rangel (D NY) has supposedly agreed to really look at this bill, and he is the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, so maybe we can at least have a debate.

Remember, lobbyists don't like the Fair Tax because it takes deduction, and special provision powers away from them in the tax code. Many in congress don't like it because it hampers their ability to spend our money on pork for their district. That should be reason enough to give this bill a chance!!

As always, thanks for the comments. I'm sure I missed something important, so if you have any questions or comments, don't hesitate to post.

FairTax.org

Wikipedia/Fair TAx

Fair Tax Article

The Fair Tax: Why Won't Republicans Support It

Its fair to say that we need more debates. We have enough candidates to choose from, and I don’t think many people who hadn’t decided who they support before the debates were convinced. I think that’s good.

It’s okay if you have a chosen a candidate to support, as well, but not all of us have made up our mind yet. I’ve got a feeling candidates aren’t done throwing their hat in the ring for 2008, so maybe I’ll keep my options open.

As many of you know, I am a supporter of the Fair Tax. Governor Huckabee mentioned his support for the Fair Tax tonight, as did Governor Tancredo. Senator Mike Gravel has also pledged his support for the Fair Tax.

I did some quick research on these three candidates to see more of their thoughts.

I had trouble finding Mike Huckabee’s official website. A Google search revealed his exploratory site, and some fan pages, but no “official” Huckabee for president site. Weird! Let me know if I’m wrong

Anyway, none of these pages mention the Fair Tax, and his exploratory site mentions signing the No-Tax pledge, but this isn’t the Fair Tax

Governor Tancredo does appear to have an official site. It states that he supports either a flat tax or a national sales tax, but does not mention the Fair Tax

Senator Mike Gravel, however does support the Fair Tax, on his official site. Its on the 2nd line of his issues, on the front page.

I did some research to see Rep Ron Paul’s position. There is no official position, but from what I’ve read, he won’t support it because its revenue neutral. His supporters should explain to him that this is a tax that you choose to pay, so it can be a tax cut if you want it to be.. Its your decision, and I think he could respect that

So, a Democrat is the only major Candidate that specifically supports the Fair Tax. Why is that? This is a conservative idea, but conservatives won’t support it.

Is this a case of another Democrat who’s willing to step up, and actually address the issue with ideas, while Republicans scramble for wiggle room? I think it is, and it’s why I don’t generally vote Republican.

One of many, many reasons!!