Yeah, I wish you could have been there too. We drove from Macon, GA to attend and are so glad we did. The energy was crazy, the looks on the official debate attendees was priceless and the statement we made with approx. 8000 FairTax proponents marching and chanting around the Republicans and news crews was worth the looks on their faces.

You would have thought 8000 people wearing FairTax shirts and hats were dropped from Black Hawk helicopters. One minute there were news ferrets taping Republicans in suits and ties swapping spit out front of the Koger Center……….the next minute there were, from out of nowhere, 8000 people holding FairTax signs and chanting “FairTax Now”. A Romney campaign staffer, stopped me and asked with a confused look on his face, “where did all these people come from?”.

Hell, it wasn't like it hadn't been publicized. The FairTax.org group had been preparing for this for weeks. It was amazing! We did miss a couple of the big talking heads that we had hoped to see, like Herman Cain and Sean Hannity, but we did get to see Mike Huckabee, Neal Boortz and John Stossel. These guys have and continue to do a lot for this movement, as has Congressman John Linder and 60 co-sponsors. However, to see 8000 people drive from different parts of the US to be in Columbia, South Carolina on a TUESDAY NIGHT in order to show their support for the FairTax put a little lump in my throat. (No, not the kind that makes me almost gag when I think about the IRS and our current unequitable code.)

So, yes, I do wish you could have made it along with a few thousand more. But, there will be another one and even if it is on the other side of the country…you should go.

Troy Tarpley
Macon, GA

certainly seems like a great way to fix the current tax nightmare. National Sales Tax/Surcharge is workable in much of Europe and Canada. BUT… what to do about the huge problem of unemployment for all the tax accountants, tax services, and the fine software folks at TurboTax etc? I know we can reassign most of the IRS folks to DHS for customs/immigration/agriculture or something. I have to admit I haven't read much about what the FairTax proposal does for corporate taxes? Does a company just pay on purchases? What happens to the (admittedly mediocre) motivation/incentive to give to charities and non profits if the tax writeoff is lost?

thanks Ms. U.

and I dont have a problem with paying MY FAIR SHARE of taxes to my government for programs that benefit me, my fellow citizens, or the country as a whole. My objections are found in the multiple inequities in current system. I understand that the “writeoff” is a misnomer, but in the cases of charities, it has both served as a way to creat incentives to give to charities, which in one sense, functioned directly to divert “tax dollars” from the government directly to designated “non profit” agencies, eliminating the “overhead” of, for example, the USO having to get funds from US GOVT instead of donors.

Dear Neal,

Keep your eye on this issue because it is picking up grassroots steam everyday of the week across the nation and the campaigns are beginning to notice. Everywhere they go someone is asking, “why are you not leading on the FairTax?”

It is an outside Washington, citizen inspired reform that has Democrats, Republicans, Independents and Libertarians actually agreeing. Wresting control away from Congress of the corrupt bi-partisan process of granting tax favors under the income tax system will require advanced democracy and intensive grassroots pressure and that is what is happening now.

Max,

You said…”I have to admit I haven’t read much about what the FairTax proposal does for corporate taxes?”. Based on some of your fair and logical questions, you show that you have read very little about the FairTax at all.

Before wasting so much of your time and others, by asking us to give you answers, to questions we get over and over….take the time to familiarize yourself with the actual FairTax plan. Do your homework. Don't jump to conclusions or base decisions and more questions on a portion of the plan or on grapevine explanations.

The answers to your valid questions are in The FairTax book and probably at http://www.fairtax.org.

Thank you for caring enough to even ask and for getting involved.

As for “corporate taxes”. Corporations don't pay taxes. I am the sole shareholder of my company, which is a corporation. My corporation pays nothing. I do. So it is with Coca Cola, Microsoft, your local car dealer, etc. Shareholders, which are INDIVIDUALS pay taxes. A corporation is just some piece of paper which list the individual or individuals that own the company. To be fair, I did use to think the same thing, until someone had me think about it.

As for charities. Hey, we Americans give to charity more than any other nation in the world and that is under the current messed up system. If you make $50,000 and give $5,000 to charity, you do not pay taxes on the 5K but do pay taxes on the 45K. Your tax bracket at 50K is 25%. That means you pay 25% on the 45K because you gave away 5K. You pay nothing on the 5K. The taxes you pay on the 45K would be about $11,258.

Now, had you not given away the 5K you would have had to pay taxes on it. Taxes on the 5K would be 25% since you made 50K. 25% of 5K is…..$1258!

So, you gave $5000 to charity to KEEP FROM giving $1258 to the Fed.

So, IF your giving JUST to keep from paying taxes, it's mathematically silly.

Besides, I don't think the majority of givers in the US do it for a “tax deduction”.

You can only do three things with money. Save it. Spend it. Give it. We would be able to do each of these as we chose, because we would get to keep 100% of our pay checks.

Max,

You said…”I have to admit I haven’t read much about what the FairTax proposal does for corporate taxes?”. Based on some of your fair and logical questions, you show that you have read very little about the FairTax at all.

Before wasting so much of your time and others, by asking us to give you answers, to questions we get over and over….take the time to familiarize yourself with the actual FairTax plan. Do your homework. Don’t jump to conclusions or base decisions and more questions on a portion of the plan or on grapevine explanations.

The answers to your valid questions are in The FairTax book and probably at http://www.fairtax.org.

Thank you for caring enough to even ask and for getting involved.

As for “corporate taxes”. Corporations don’t pay taxes. I am the sole shareholder of my company, which is a corporation. My corporation pays nothing. I do. So it is with Coca Cola, Microsoft, your local car dealer, etc. Shareholders, which are INDIVIDUALS pay taxes. A corporation is just some piece of paper which list the individual or individuals that own the company. To be fair, I did use to think the same thing, until someone had me think about it.

As for charities. Hey, we Americans give to charity more than any other nation in the world and that is under the current messed up system. If you make $50,000 and give $5,000 to charity, you do not pay taxes on the 5K but do pay taxes on the 45K. Your tax bracket at 50K is 25%. That means you pay 25% on the 45K because you gave away 5K. You pay nothing on the 5K. The taxes you pay on the 45K would be about $11,258.

Now, had you not given away the 5K you would have had to pay taxes on it. Taxes on the 5K would be 25% since you made 50K. 25% of 5K is…..$1258!

So, you gave $5000 to charity to KEEP FROM giving $1258 to the Fed.

So, IF your giving JUST to keep from paying taxes, it’s mathematically silly.

Besides, I don’t think the majority of givers in the US do it for a “tax deduction”.

You can only do three things with money. Save it. Spend it. Give it. We would be able to do each of these as we chose, because we would get to keep 100% of our pay checks.

I left Florida at 8 a.m. Got to the rally at 4 p.m. It was great. There were 8000-9000 people easily. We left at 9p.m. I got home at 4 a.m. and went straight to work till 5 that evening. I was a walking zombie. I didn't hit the bed till 7. It was total hell. I WILL DO THAT AGAIN AND AS OFTEN AS NECESSARY IN ORDER TO GET THE FAIR TAX!!!!!!!!!!!!
Steve Lee
outside of Gainsville Florida

We all had a blast! Everyone could feel that we were part of something BIG! I came from Birmingham for the Rally and I will be there in Iowa and then again in Washington DC each will be bigger than the last.

Looks like I have to take that 2X4 to myself. Sorry all over the place about leaving my message here on board concerning my daughters graduation in Phoenix. Just saw that Leave a Comment space there and jumped on it. Appologies for being off subject to those here, however I do love the Fair Tax…does that help?

We all had a blast! Everyone could feel that we were part of something BIG! I came from Birmingham for the Rally and I will be there in Iowa and then again in Washington DC each will be bigger than the last.

Looks like I have to take that 2X4 to myself. Sorry all over the place about leaving my message here on board concerning my daughters graduation in Phoenix. Just saw that Leave a Comment space there and jumped on it. Appologies for being off subject to those here, however I do love the Fair Tax…does that help?

We are making a mistake of making this a Republican issue. We have only one Dem. sponsor. My congressman Jim Cooper is against the Fair Tax because his staffers tell him the Fair Tax is a Republican sponsored issue. I drove from Nashville, TN to Columbia, SC. We need to do the same thing for the next Democrat debate.

We are making a mistake of making this a Republican issue. We have only one Dem. sponsor. My congressman Jim Cooper is against the Fair Tax because his staffers tell him the Fair Tax is a Republican sponsored issue. I drove from Nashville, TN to Columbia, SC. We need to do the same thing for the next Democrat debate.

We drove to the rally from Jacksonville, Florida. We had my Aunt in tow and she had no idea what the Fair Tax was about. During the rally she seemed a bit out of sorts. She is afraid of crowds. But about ten minutes into the whole thing she got quiet and was intent on listening to everything and everyone. On our four hour drive back home she and my husband talked exclusively about the Fair Tax. He has been a supporter for year. Now she knows just what it is about and is a new supporter.

It was amazing to see all the support that was there. My husband and I are planning on traveling to Iowa for the next rally. He has told his friends from all over the U.S. about it and they are planning on attending also. The next rally should blow this last one out of the water!

Thank you Neal for all that you do and say. We love you long time.

We drove to the rally from Jacksonville, Florida. We had my Aunt in tow and she had no idea what the Fair Tax was about. During the rally she seemed a bit out of sorts. She is afraid of crowds. But about ten minutes into the whole thing she got quiet and was intent on listening to everything and everyone. On our four hour drive back home she and my husband talked exclusively about the Fair Tax. He has been a supporter for year. Now she knows just what it is about and is a new supporter.

It was amazing to see all the support that was there. My husband and I are planning on traveling to Iowa for the next rally. He has told his friends from all over the U.S. about it and they are planning on attending also. The next rally should blow this last one out of the water!

Thank you Neal for all that you do and say. We love you long time.

If the IRS can’t handle the job its’doing now,who will be responsible for mailing out the millions of checks each and every month?
All this Fair Tax Tax talk is of pipe dreams, of a loud-mouth,popinjay,high school graduate,who won’t debate anyone of a number of knowledgeable persons,on neutral grounds, with a neutral moderator. That tells you alot about the spokesman, and his pipedream,pie in the sky,flash in-the-pan ideas!
So ask yourself,why won’t Boortz debate people who are opposed to his Fair Tax Program?

Do any of you backers of the Fair Tax Plan really know anything about Boortz? Go to:, johnsugg.com click on Archives,then click on the months of Sept/Oct '05 ,then Mar.-May'06, scroll done through these months till the articles on Neal show-up! Then ask yourself, do I still believe Neal?

Here’s two just from Atlanta,John Sugg of Creative Loafing,Jay Bookman of the Atlanta Journal Constitution,both journalists, have repeatedly have asked Boortz to debate at a nuetral venue,with a impartial moderator! Why wouldn’t Boortz debate them,ask Boortz? Write these men and get their view on No-Show Neal?
What’s your answer to my question, “Who’s going to manage the millions upon millions of checks that need to be mailed monthly, and on time, to every single person who purchased a product in the preceding month?
The Fair Tax looks good on paper but the real % of what ones pays is closer to 35-37% on each purchase!
MisUnderestimated,you have to look at both the good side and the bad side. of this pipe dream. The bad side comes out a winner every time when the true facts are laid out for all to read!
You don’t need Troy to answer my questions,you can answer them all by yourself,unless you not bright enough!

Pops, You said “All this Fair Tax Tax talk is of pipe dreams, of a loud-mouth, popinjay, high school graduate, who won’t debate anyone of a number of knowledgeable persons, on neutral grounds, with a neutral moderator”

I will admit the FairTax is hard to understand. And why not? We have been taxed on income for what seems forever. . I got into the FairTax and was so skeptical, I have now read more econ papers than when I was in college. (The scary thing is I understand it now.)

So for the moment forget Boortz and refer to University econ professors such as Dale W. Jorgenson Professor at Harvard University. or Laurence J. Kotlikoff Professor of Economics Boston University or …. Over 70 others. The research is out there, Boortz just tried to make it easy
Here are a couple of papers to read:
The National Sales Tax: Who Bears the Burden?
by Gilbert E. Metcalf
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-289.html
Gilbert E. Metcalf is an associate professor of economics at Tufts University and an economist with the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Taxing Sales under the FairTax –
What Rate Works?
http://people.bu.edu/kotlikof/BHI-LK%20Taxing%2…
by
Paul Bachman
Director of Research, Beacon Hill Institute, Suffolk University
Jonathan Haughton
Associate Professor of Economics
Senior Economist, Beacon Hill Institute

Pops, You said “All this Fair Tax Tax talk is of pipe dreams, of a loud-mouth, popinjay, high school graduate, who won’t debate anyone of a number of knowledgeable persons, on neutral grounds, with a neutral moderator”

I will admit the FairTax is hard to understand. And why not? We have been taxed on income for what seems forever. . I got into the FairTax and was so skeptical, I have now read more econ papers than when I was in college. (The scary thing is I understand it now.)

So for the moment forget Boortz and refer to University econ professors such as Dale W. Jorgenson Professor at Harvard University. or Laurence J. Kotlikoff Professor of Economics Boston University or …. Over 70 others. The research is out there, Boortz just tried to make it easy
Here are a couple of papers to read:
The National Sales Tax: Who Bears the Burden?
by Gilbert E. Metcalf
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-289.html
Gilbert E. Metcalf is an associate professor of economics at Tufts University and an economist with the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Taxing Sales under the FairTax –
What Rate Works?
http://people.bu.edu/kotlikof/BHI-LK%20Taxing%20Sales%20under%20the%20FairTax-%20What%20Rate%20Works%209-25-06%20FINAL.pdf
by
Paul Bachman
Director of Research, Beacon Hill Institute, Suffolk University
Jonathan Haughton
Associate Professor of Economics
Senior Economist, Beacon Hill Institute

Thank you Mr Schwall. I had not had a chance to craft a response about the the corporate tax issue. Corporations are, by definitions business entities “created” ( or in -corporated) in order to have a legal “individual” to make contracts, pay bills, and indeed, have tax liabilities as well. If there were no “corporate taxes” there would be no necessity to have the designation of “non profit” or “tax exempt” entities such as charities, schools, etc.
I also agree that while companies (corporations) incur their tax burden/liability/incidence, they are also in the position to factor that into their “overhead” and pass along to consumers of their product/service with their pricing.
Again, I do not claim to be a tax accountant or economist. I just think that there is alot of merit to moving to a VAT sales tax system, and believe that a serious such effort can only result in improvement in the current byzantine tax code structure.

Max

Cpl. Frank… you've missed the whole point here. This is not about Neal Boortz – it's about something even bigger than Boortz, and he'll even tell you that himself. This is a non-partisan issue, and would be the largest transfer of power from the government back to the people. Not a damn thing partisan at all about this. So, just because Neal co-authored the book with Cong. Linder, and just because you hate Neal Boortz, please don't denegrate S.R.25/H25 with your mis-information.

Oh, and who gives two flips about John Sugg, or Creative Loafing? Says something about the paper for whom you work when they have to give it away free in all the local bars and dives. So, you're probably not that educated either, if that's your source of “news.”

Max, I have to strongly disagree with you about the V.A.T. The company I work for has their home office in Germany, and many other corporate offices across Europe. The V.A.T. in short causes about a 70% tax rate imposed upon everybody. Items in an economy with a V.A.T. are taxed at every level, from the raw goods to the finished product, then put on top of that the government sales tax. It's horrific.

The beuty of the Fair Tax is the repeal of the 16th Amendment (the IRS), and taxes will be truly transparent. As it stands, the current tax system is not a tax on wealth, which the libs like to make it, saying the rich pay fewer taxes. There are many folks who are children of wealthy families, and have no real 'income,' so with the Fair Tax, everyone will be taxed the same – at the point of consumption. You can choose what you want to buy and what you don't want to buy, so this is the most equitable tax plan around.

Comment again if you want more info, and I'll send it to you.

LTCPMax
Thanks for your comments.
The V.A.T. or value added tax does spread the tax incidence out over many payers but still the tax burden rests with the end consumer. We have a form of hidden VAT now.
Look at a loaf of bread. Who did you get it? The farmer buried his taxes into the price of his wheat. The miller buried his tax into the price of his service. The baker buried his tax into the cost of his service. The packager, the wholesaler, the retailer, you get the picture. The VAT retains complexity and compliance costs.
One advantage of the FairTax is simplicity. One single tax at the end sale is all you pay.
Compliance costs are reduced to a minimum.
Further, let’s look at a simplified production function. Production or output = (Labor X Capital). Tax labor and or capital and you reduce production. “Un-tax” both and you increase production. You set it free!
The current income tax, a flat income, or a V.A.T. acts an anchor. Only the FairTax sets labor and capital free. This is truly the best advantage of the FairTax and the hardest to explain.
There are over an estimated $11 trillion dollars in offshore accounts and there just to escape the tax code. There is no reason for that money not to come home under the FairTax. Ask yourself what would happen to our banking system if it had just half of $11 trillion in new deposits?