Thursday, August 26, 2010
Lincoln lets Boozman off easy
Posted by Max Brantley on Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 6:15 AM
Amusing story in the Democrat-Gazette this morning. It is unfair, Dr. No Boozman says, for Sen. Blanche Lincoln to run ads criticizing his support of a 23 percent national sales tax. Sure he's signed on as a sponsor of that legislation, but there's much hemming and hawing by Boozman to dissemble about it. Simple, he's for it. Or something worse.
Here's the thing. That so-called "fair tax" is even worse than Lincoln depicts it. It's actually not a 23 percent sales tax, it's a 30 percent sales tax as we customarily compute sales taxes.
In Arkansas, if an item costs a dollar, we add 6 percent state sales tax for a total of $1.06 (or $1,200 on a $20,000 car.)
Under the "fair tax," the law specifies payment of 23 cents out of every $1 spent. Thus, the tax is $23 for every $100 spent or about 30 percent of the value of the item ($4,600 on the $20,000 you'd have to pay to buy a $15,400 car.)
The fair tax would cripple poor and middle class people. Help the wealthy? You know it. Big time.
A reader's suggested line for a Lincoln ad about Boozman's I'm-for-it-but-maybe-not defense:
John Boozman's either a liar or a moron.
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Comments (13)
Showing 1-13 of 13
YES! How in the hell could she let him get away with the, "...I don't support it, I am just a co-sponsor on the bill..." line?
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I think that sums up both Blanche and Booz's political careers.
A race to cripple America.
It is funny how a flat rate tax gets "flatty" dismissed.
Enough tweaking gives any plan possibility and how could you not like adding $2.5 million on a $10,000,000 yacht!
Exempt the first $40,000. Pay a pre-bate if you have to. A person spending $50.000 a year pays $2,500 taxes, a person spending $140,000 pays $25,000
Just the idea of me paying $3 tax on a bottle of wine while the guy at the next table is paying $30 seems great.
Yes, seems mudturtle. "I know not seems"
Until exemption time rolls around. You know, caps. Exempted items filling ten pages.
What is the biggest obstacle now to new home ownership? Down payments.
I realize real estate brokers are some of the most right-wing, ultra conservative types
howling in the political marketplace today but even for them they can recognize a market-killer when they see one.
Auto dealers? The howling will never stop as sales plummet. So Boozman can dangle this carrot out there to capture some more of the wacko T'baggers, which is about all it amounts to, cause the man ain't gonna kill the auto and appliance (no money down) business.
Boobman continued his support of the "rich people tax cut" by putting it into his email newsletter today:
"It’s clear our tax system needs reform and I’m committed to being a part of the effort to fix it. I’m a firm believer that we’re overtaxed and Arkansas families deserve more of their hard-earned money, instead of giving it to the government. We deserve a tax code that is both simple and fair which is why I’m supportive of tax reforms and willing to change our current tax structure.
I’m a cosponsor of H.R. 25, the “Fair Tax Act” which was introduced by Rep. John Linder (R, GA). The Fair Tax taxes us only on what we choose to spend, not on what we earn, so it allows us to keep 100 percent of our paychecks, pensions, and Social Security payments. This legislation would repeal the income tax, the gift and estate taxes as well as the employment tax and replaces them with one simple, federal retail sales tax."
And he forgets to mention that it would be a windfall for those who spend the least percentage of their paycheck on survival needs, e.g., food cars, utilities, etc.
From what I understand of the fair tax, people who make below a certain amount will be given a refund of the sales tax they pay based on a table, so that they are not unfairly burdened. And I don't think groceries and medicines are taxed under the plan.
It's easy to jump all over the fair tax, but the particulars are a little more complicated than, "poor people are being treated unfairly and rich people win!"
Nope, untrue Phillips. They'd get a monthly "prebate" of estimated taxes paid up to the poverty level. No allowances for big ticket items or when expenditures for goods and services exceed your prebate, which of course they would.
23% Sales tax! Of course it penalizes the poor who pay no tax now but would. Guess, may as well, he wants this to apply to food stamp receipients too. It's been proven over and over again you got to be a real looney to support this and/or the more popular flat tax (about the same).
The Booze seems to have surrounded himself by bozone.
However, believing bull shit er's goes way back even prior to the big bang bible:
MK 16:17-18 A believer can handle snakes or drink poison and not experience any harm.
(Note: Many unfortunate believers have died as a result of handling snakes and drinking poison. This kind of assertion negates the Bible as a useful guidebook
for life.)
If you people would even bother to read and understand the Fair Tax at www.fairtax.org you would realize that you don't know anything about it. Don't be telling lies to the public. Unless you have actually studied it, please don't be making remarks based on what you have heard or someone else has told you.
" . . . so it allows us to keep 100 percent of our paychecks, pensions, and Social Security payments."
Someone explain to me please, just what we need the paychecks, pensions and Social Security payments if not to spend. If we have said moolah in our pockets and purses, yet choose not to buy, oh say, shelter, food, transportation and so forth, well, why do we need it? Let's just dispense with all forms of money.
Is this the point where I load my trusty shotgun and take all I might want or need from my neighbor up the road? (Guess I better make sure I get all his shotguns and the like before he gets the idea he can take what he wants back.)
Boozman is nuttier that I believed possible.
Hey, this "fair tax" stuff is not new. Remember Steve Forbes and his "flat tax" from years ago. It is the same thing. And there were proponents for years before that. The simple truth is that every reputable economist in the United States has opposed it. No. 1, the rate would have to be so high to raise as much money as the income tax that no one could afford it. No. 2, it would penalize poor people who have to spend everything they make to live, and further enrich the rich people who make so much money that they spend a miniscule portion of their income, and hoard the rest for their worthless kids and grandkids. Why do people think they should try to eliminate laws that have served this nation well for its entire history in favor of crazy schemes such as this? Why do Americans not see through this obvious strategy of trying to make rich people richer and poor people poorer? I hope we never see them succeed. To date, the sensible people have been able to prevail. I am beginning to wonder, though, whether this will continue.
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