Reply to "FairTax is a fraud" - Reader comments at The New York Sun

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Reader comment on:
FairTax's Plausible Solution
in response to reader comment: FairTax is a fraud.

Submitted by David Patterson, Jan 10, 2008 14:50

Consider:

"The fairtax pushes the tax burden to the middle class. " Considering the prebate provisions of the Fair Tax which sends a check to everyone to cover the tax on essentials, up to the poverty level, how is it that the poor are punished?

"It eliminates middle class tax deductions like the mortgage interest deduction". Guess what? It eliminates all tax deductions of all kinds for everyone because the current system is eliminated and there are no forms to fill out. I will be happy to "lose" my mortgage deduction in return for the freedom to decide when and how much tax I will pay through the purchase of new goods and services. It is sad to consider that most people think of tax time as a time when their government pays them something, when it fact their government has confiscated your money througout the year, and now you must spend many hours and usually pay a tax preparer just to get some of it back.

"It makes billionaire estates, capital gains, interest income, and huge gifts tax free". Now this is a real shame, my government no longer penalizing me for saving money and building wealth.

"while putting a 30 percent tax on new homes, 30 percent tax on medical bills like expensive operations, a 30 percent tax on legal services, a new 30 percent tax on FOOD, HEAT, RENT, and everything a poor and middle class person would pay". Your 30 percent is a matter of semantics, but it fact, under the Fair Tax, when you go to the Dollar Store and pay $1.00 for an item, the price on your sales receipt will show $0.77 for the item, and $0.23 for the tax. So the tax is 23% of the total, or 30% of the base. The Fair Tax advocates will say 23%, and their opponents will say 30%. When you look at your pay stub to figure how much tax you are paying, you will figure it as a percentage of your gross pay, so if you want to compare apples with apples, you should look at it the same way under the Fair Tax.

"This "unfair" tax plan would destroy America". I must agree with you that this country is well on the way to destruction, but that is a different subject and has nothing to do with the taxation method.

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
Dear Ms Diana Furchtgott-Roth Thank you for your positive "Opinion" of January 9,2008 on the FairTax possibilities and the impact it... [MORE]	Joseph LeBlanc	Jan 12, 2008 01:46
Over 60 % of the oil consumed in this country is imported at a global price. Oil companies that sell... [MORE]	Bruce Barnes	Jan 13, 2008 01:36
I love the idea of the FairTax so much I've been staying up and posting in forums discussing it. What... [MORE]	dculling	Jan 11, 2008 06:47
"FairTax" definitions: Used property – defined as property on which the federal sales tax has been collected already, and property that... [MORE]	Bruce Barnes	Jan 12, 2008 01:02
Will the IRS really be gone? The IRS is uniquely qualified to administer the Fair Tax with people, computers, and... [MORE]	Bruce Barnes	Jan 10, 2008 23:46
The Consumption Tax will replace personal taxes of 60 % of the budget and also another 40 % to raise... [MORE]	Bruce Barnes	Jan 10, 2008 23:43
A consumption tax could garner more support if services/labor were taxed at a lower rate than new products. More US... [MORE]	Kristin	Jan 10, 2008 23:19
Ms. DIANA FURCHTGOTT-ROTH, I just read your article. I am impressed by the strong argument you made for investigating the fair... [MORE]	Ed Harrison	Jan 10, 2008 09:42
Take a simple example we can all understand like a gas station that sells gasoline to a customer and that... [MORE]	Bruce Barnes	Jan 12, 2008 01:45
Thanks for your accurate and thoughtful discussion of the FairTax. I support this proposal and believe the American People will... [MORE]	Rodger Gamblin	Jan 10, 2008 05:00
If the government no longer has the payroll of the multi-thousands of IRS employees and each of these people becomes... [MORE]	mjwhite	Jan 9, 2008 17:35
All the discussion to now has been on the internal effect of the FairTax but the international issues also deserve... [MORE]	Dewey715	Jan 9, 2008 14:00
The fairtax pushes the tax burden to the middle class. It eliminates middle class tax deductions like the mortgage interest... [MORE]	FairTaxFraud Institute	Jan 9, 2008 06:56
The FairTaxFraud Institute is putting out derogatory information about the FairTax to protect their vested interests in the current tax... [MORE]	Tom Kropewnicki	Jan 10, 2008 11:41
Consider: "The fairtax pushes the tax burden to the middle class. " Considering the prebate provisions of the Fair Tax...	David Patterson	Jan 10, 2008 14:50
To add research basis to Mr. Patterson's perceptive rebuttal, I offer the following: Over time, the FairTax benefits all income groups.... [MORE]	Ian Repley, Ann Arbor	Jan 10, 2008 20:41
The FairTax Act of 2007 (HR 25 / S 1025) represents a prospective power shift of massive proportions in America.... [MORE]	Ian Repley, Ann Arbor	Jan 9, 2008 04:52