Comments on: "FairTax" Boosts Huckabee, Despite Critics

GOP Contender's Support For Questionable National Sales Tax Drawing Supporters

[sandzz-2009]

"they would already be in debt from having to pay 23% more for every single thing purchased. "

No they wouldn''t, the tax is already included in your current price because a healthy chunk of the price you pay for say a product are the exact taxes that would be waived from the producer/manufacturer and the retailer. These guys already pass the ''savings'' along to the consumer. In short, the 23% is already included in today''s sales because of the imposition of those same taxes on those on whom you purchase from.

[rowdytexan2]

Why not just have a ''Fair Income Tax''? EVERYBODY pays the same percent on their income...and there are no loopholes or exemptions or write offs?

If you make the money it''s taxed! I''ve been taxed that way all my adult life!

[incog-nito]

Instead ot debating the sales tax on its merits, people are arguing about how disruptive it is to change the current system. It''s like saying, "Well I don''t like ..., but I''m so used to it that I won''t change it." Sounds like a copout to me.

[cfin5]

One thing I want to discuss is the "fair tax RATE"......Am I right at saying it is to be 23%????? You have got to be joking me?! We need to enhance our Comptroller Generals authority to the level of being able to walk right into the Oval Office ANY *** time he pleases and slap down ANY spending bill with an "ECONOMIC VETO" that nobody can override. Especially when it involves borrowing the money. Somebody in government has to be able to stick up for us taxpayers on both sides. The lobbyist bought politicians sure don''t!

[kansas1946]

Mike Huckabee,
Similar to Bill Clinton in some remarkable ways (not including their politics) will he also make it to the White House?
**********************
I just saw this comment on the politics page. Who ever wrote that blub must be either insane, or the dumbest reporter alive. The only thing similar between Clinton and Huckabee is that they are both from Arkansas and they both need to watch their weight. Other than that, they are about as much alike as GWB and a Nobel laureate.

[kansas1946]

Although, a sales tax can work for selected projects and can work in certain cities areas, it would not be workable on a national level. I looked at this years ago when Forbes made it part of his platform, and it really would be a disaster. Huckabee is just not very bright, but it sounds good to people who are sick of the current system and tax tired. We need someone bright in the Whitehouse, not someone who can''t understand complicated issues. We have had that for seven years.

[hypnotoad72]

I should have continued reading; "To offset the burden on the poor, the FairTax system would send monthly checks to everyone in the nation, compensating for taxes paid up to the poverty level and ensuring that some minimum standard of living would go untaxed. The president''s tax overhaul panel, in its final report, estimated that such a program would cost $600 billion to $780 billion a year, making "most American families dependent on monthly checks from the government for a substantial portion of their income." "

Okay, that''s not so bad then. Nice to see such things mentioned. Mr Huckabee, Please accept my apology for my rash thinking/oversight/not reading. Though I''d also admit, why include "everyone"? I''ll agree there''s such a thing as "too much tax", but should "too little" be a factor, especially when we have this national debt and how some wouldn''t even notice an extra nickel coming out of their coffers?

I dunno; but in theory the practice in general is a good one.

[hypnotoad72]

Hmmm. Of all the things to tax, it''d be put on what makes our economy work - SALES.

I thought Republicans hated taxes? Money for nothing and the chicks for free, I suppose... Repubs are right on a lot of things, but for once, it''s not regarding taxes. Ironic, isn''t it?

[likeitis5050]

Nothing fair about the fair tax. Instantly, overnight, those who didn''t have the cash to fall back on would be totally wiped out. Sure, the next check would be bigger, but they would already be in debt from having to pay 23% more for every single thing purchased. The only ones who would skate through the entire process would be the rich, next in line would be the poor, and the ones getting no deal at all would be the middle class, as usual. Huckabee has proven himself unworthy to lead if he can''t see what a disaster this is, and those who haven''t thought it through are simple minded idiots. The fact his campaign has gotten a ''boost'' from this idea is scary.

[usayesterday]

The current IRS tax system is so well established in our country that it would actually cost a lot more money to change it than it would be to simply improve it. A "fair" tax or a "flat" tax would clearly cause a rift in the distribution of tax revenue to the various governmental agencies for many years, AND, cost a lot of money as I mentioned before.

It would be a logistical and economic nightmare!

Just shave off some more of the income tax and increase the estate and windfall taxes to compensate. People should keep more of what the EARN as opposed to what they WIN.

(Inheritance is a form of "winning" by the way. If you are born into wealth... you''ve won the lottery of life. Just ask Paris Hilton, Steve Forbes, or the Trump kids).

[seafang]

One must be crazy to support the fair tax idea( or rich) this would guantee a permant oligarchy of the wealthy. there are numerous books on this subject w/ detailed explanations as to its flaws. this is aimed at all of us who don''''t like to pay taxes w/o thought of the consequences. while our current system is certainly flawed this is no solution. do your homework folks, and don''''t be fooled.

Well the "fairtax" is for idiots; and certainly isn''t a tax on the rich.
In the first place, you can only tax a renewable resource; aka a profit making enterprise; which is what income is.
So think about all of those retired folks who have paid income taxes all their lives, and managed to save some for themsleves for retirement (even their savings interest were taxed). So now their income is zero, so their taxes should be zero, but now "Huckabaloo" has a new plan to tax what they have left every time they spend some. The rich don''t pay income taxes, nor do they spend what they have; most of it is invested in non-taxable enterprises.

So I can just see the old folks in Florida jumping at the fairtax. Ron Paul and his sheeple are Utopians with no common sense, and Huckminster is just as nutty.
The only fair tax is a flat tax on all income, and nothing else; no ifs, ands or buts.

[merlgrey]

anyone hoping that huckabee will be a fresh change should read into this politico piece about whom he is starting to align himself with foreign policywise... these people are central to laying the groundwork for the last 20 yrs or more for reorganizing our placement in the middle east. cfr''''s, neos, super wealthy elites... etc... of course they would love the opportunity to stay on course. they likely will with any of the ''''media'''' darling top tier candidates from either party regardless.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories
/1207/7602.html

ronpaul2008

[myidoncbs]

Someone said, "Search YouTube for "All About Huckabee" to see what some ordinary people think."

You could have saved me some time by just admitting up front that you are not talking about "ordinary people" in the sense of a representative sample of the general population, but rather, you mean "ordinary Hucksterbee supporters".

Ask the people of his home state of Arkansas if you want to know what the average (ordinary) person thinks of Hucksterbee. Read the AK Times if you want to learn about some of the things Hucksterbee did to arouse their ire.

Religious nutjobs: No Thanks!

Repressive Tax Schemes: No Thanks!

Hypocrites Who Oppose Stem-Cell Research but Take Money From Those Who Do The Research (Novo-Nordisk): No Thanks!

Governors Who Secretly Work To Parole A Rapist Who Then Rapes And Murders When Set Free: No Thanks!

Criminals Who Wipe and Crush $335,000 Worth Of Government Computer Hard Drives to Hide Embezzlement of $60,000 Yearly: No Thanks!

"Christians" Who Proclaim Their Religion To Get Votes: No Thanks!

etc... (I could go on for a loooooooong time!) There''s just SO MUCH about Hucksterbee to dislike.

[humberston]

One must be crazy to support the fair tax idea( or rich) this would guantee a permant oligarchy of the wealthy. there are numerous books on this subject w/ detailed explanations as to its flaws. this is aimed at all of us who don''t like to pay taxes w/o thought of the consequences. while our current system is certainly flawed this is no solution. do your homework folks, and don''t be fooled.

[humberston]

One must be crazy to support the fair tax idea( or rich) this would guantee a permant oligarchy of the wealthy. there are numerous books on this subject w/ detailed explanations as to its flaws. this is aimed at all of us who don''t like to pay taxes w/o thought of the consequences. while our current system is certainly flawed this is no solution. do your homework folks, and don''t be fooled.

[humberston]

One must be crazy to support the fair tax idea( or rich) this would guantee a permant oligarchy of the wealthy. there are numerous books on this subject w/ detailed explanations as to its flaws. this is aimed at all of us who don''t like to pay taxes w/o thought of te consequences. while our current system is certainly flawed this is no solution. do your homework folks, and don''t be fooled.

[nativewoman]

Some of my assumptions are based on this article:

~Under the proposal, known to supporters as the FairTax, the Internal Revenue Service and the entire income and payroll tax system would be abolished. Americans would then pay a sales tax on virtually everything: a new home, yard work, food, health care. Only education would be broadly exempted.~

Some of my assumptions are, admittedly, conjecture. If the IRS is abolished, where do those people find jobs? I guess administering the national entitlement program also mentioned in this article:
~To offset the burden on the poor, the FairTax system would send monthly checks to everyone in the nation, compensating for taxes paid up to the poverty level and ensuring that some minimum standard of living would go untaxed.~

If the FairTax system seeks to mitigate the burden on the poor, why would monthly checks be sent to everyone in the nation?

[excoachken]

The Huckster was originally going to call it a Fair Tithe, but thought 10% would be right for millionaires,while the rest of us pay 66.6%.

[incog-nito]

NativeWoman: You make a lot of assumptions about that may or may not happen if the national sales tax comes about. I''m sure some goods will be taxes differently, similar to the current sales tax. That''s the form of social engineering I can live with, because at least it doesn''t create unnecessary waste and burden on people. Right now food is taxed lower than other goods, and other items like gasoline is taxed differently. I don''t see why the new sales taxes would need to be much different.

[nativewoman]

Posted by incog-nito at 05:44 PM : Dec 28, 2007

I did not say that it was. I was pointing out another consequence of moving to a national sales tax.

How is it to be implemented? Overnight? Hundreds of thousands of people find themselves without jobs when they wake up tomorrow?

I would think there would be a phase-in time. Which means that they would phase in a "small" national sales tax while keeping some of the income tax and all of the "unproductive" employees you speak of to administer the remaining income tax program.

Then, lo and behold, they would decide not to do away with an income tax but also to keep the new national sales tax.

And the special interests would remain pushing to have their products and services exempt from the national sales tax. Why should food and medicine, necessary for survival, be subject to sales tax? Then we get into fuels. Fuels are necessary to survival in order to heat the home, cook the food, commute to work. Why should fuels be subject to sales tax? And clothing. Clothing is necessary to survival. Why should clothing sales be taxed?