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DEL.ICIO.USAll rights reserved: Boortz and Richardson tangle over who gets to use ‘fair tax.’ And Linder clarifies
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s not enough that House Speaker Glenn Richardson has picked a fight with Gov. Sonny Perdue.
Now he and his boys must answer for allegedly poaching the phrase “fair tax.”
Last week, before the Legislature devolved into the fight over the governor’s veto of a budget bill, House Republican leaders tried to set the tone for next year’s meeting of the General Assembly.
They formally introduced H.R. 900, which will become their vehicle for reform of the state tax system.
The specifics of the bill have yet to be decided. House Republicans are thinking of a shift away from property taxes to a combination of sales and income tax.
But the legal caption says the bill would “provide for a comprehensive flat tax to be known as the fair tax.”
Oops.
Radio talk show host Neal Boortz has taken umbrage. You’ll recall that he and U.S. Rep. John Linder are joint authors of “The FairTax Book.”
“Glenn Richardson knows the fair tax is wildly popular in Georgia,” the WSB radio guy said. “So he has stolen the name of the fair tax and applied it to a tax bill that is not the fair tax and barely resembles it.”
On Saturday, while speaking to a Republican crowd, Richardson mentioned that he’d heard from Linder as well. Afterwards, he spoke with reporters.
“Linder called our office, and said if y’all don’t quit using that - that’s a trademark, and the state will be sued,” Richardson said.
It didn’t sound like Richardson was wedded to the name. “I kept saying, ‘Let me come up with an acronym that’s cutesy, but I was so bogged down in all the other details, I didn’t have time. One of my attorneys put ‘Georgia’s Fair Tax.”
But there is that matter of that call from Linder. We rang him up, and the congressman quickly responded just a few minutes ago. He tied all the many ends of the string together.
Linder said he did not call the speaker, or his office. But he did leave a message with a staffer for House Speaker pro tem Mark Burkhalter (R-Alpharetta).
It seems that “fair tax” is indeed trademarked, but not by Linder or Boortz. It’s the intellectual property of Americans for Fair Taxation, a non-profit group out of Texas that’s been pushing the idea since 1995.
They’ve been aggressive about protecting that trademark, Linder said. “I was just warning Mark that he didn’t need to get into that fight.”
In fact, that’s why in the Boortz-Linder book, “fair” and “tax” are a single word. And they still had to get the group’s permission to use it, Linder said.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Sam Sludge
April 23, 2007 1:35 PM | Link to this
Tell ol’ Glenn my staff came up with a name for H.R. 900:
Comprehensive Republican Assessment Plan or C.R.A.P. for short!
That about sums up ol’ Glenn’s plan.
By they are idiots
April 23, 2007 1:52 PM | Link to this
Well, at least this is the vehicle that will finally get that idiot Richardson and his sorry sidekick, Mr. “Christian Coalition” Jerry Keen kicked out of office for good. Everyone knows that they just want to save money on the property taxes on their expensive St. Simon’s beach property. This is all about them and their cronies and all about screwing public education and the middle class. Keen makes “Christians” look bad.
This bill will force anyone except multiple property owners and owners of very expensive property to pay more in taxes. Upper middle class will break even. Middle class and below will be totally screwed.
By Sam Sludge
April 23, 2007 2:02 PM | Link to this
Ben Harbin just e-mailed and the Vice-Chairman of his Appropriations Committee (Binky Butler of Carrollton) came up with a substitute name/acronym for HR 900:
State House Income Taxing System or S.H.I.T.S.
which is exactly what the taxpayers will get when they are porked with this crap!
By In the Know
April 23, 2007 2:51 PM | Link to this
Looking at the above posts, I’m glad to know that former Gov. Barnes is still keeping busy.
By Sam Sludge
April 23, 2007 3:01 PM | Link to this
King Roy may be known by the moniker: “they are idiots” but the Great Slamming Sammy Sludge has never been accused of shilling for Barnes.
You may e-mail me at: samsludge@yahoo.com
I look forward to hearing from you.
By Roy
April 23, 2007 3:14 PM | Link to this
I’ve never blogged before but I do agree:
Comprehensive Republican Assessment Plan (C.R.A.P.) and State House Income Taxing System (S.H.I.T.S.)
could only be Republican sponsored schemes.
I am aware of the incomparable Mr. Sludge of Atlanta and Carroll County and other parts and I am humbled to be compared to his greatness.
By Brian S.
April 23, 2007 3:36 PM | Link to this
Seriously, Sam, if you put this much effort into a job/career that you do on these blogs, you would be very successful. Alas, that probably won’t happen.
By Sam Sludge
April 23, 2007 5:00 PM | Link to this
My poor misinformed and unenlightened friend Mr. Brian S.:
I am successful….very very successful….I see things most don’t….I travel places most never will…..and I am privy to secrets still unknown…..I hear things far and wide….from insiders and outsiders….rich and poor….famous and unknown….your problem is you don’t know me….and you never will….because I could be anybody and I am everybody!!!!
By Athens, GA
April 23, 2007 11:02 PM | Link to this
This does nothing but feed into Jay Bookman’s editorial yesterday arguing that FairTax Fans are cultish. Their cause would be much better if the FairTaxers looked a little less like the Christian Coalition and a little more like normal, sane policy advocates.
I personally abhor the idea of more taxes on groups of people and believe that a simplification of the tax code doesn’t mean making it regressive.
Linder and Bootz don’t really seem to care about their cause unless they’re ones taking credit for it.
By CDog
April 24, 2007 8:32 AM | Link to this
Is there really anyone who actually likes paying property taxes? Why should I be forced at legislative gunpoint to pay the government to own a house or car? Property taxes are unethical and immoral. Money is taken from my pocket without my permission. It all other arenas of life, this is called stealing. I am not wealthy by any means. I am a public school teacher. If Richardson can pull this off, he has my vote for governor in 2010.
By DT
April 24, 2007 9:11 AM | Link to this
Is there really anyone who believes that any of these idiots have any idea what they’re doing? Other than flailing around?
Why would anyone think that a complete overhaul of Georgia’s tax code would be within our general assembly’s reach?
If it doesn’t have anything to do with guns, gay weddings, the flag tax incentives for corporations or abortion, they can’t handle it.
By Right on Mr. Speaker
April 24, 2007 9:12 AM | Link to this
It looks to me like Cagle and the Gov. tried a power move on the the House. They do not like having opposition to anything they want. I hope the media does not mis-read the public sentiment for giving us a tax refund…even a small one…because most people LIKE it!
“Gov. Richardson” sounds really good to me.
By Stevenator
April 24, 2007 9:51 AM | Link to this
Isn’t it just a little bit nuts that somebody actually thinks they have an exclusive right to use the term “fair tax”? Any half-competent legal researcher could undoubtedly find numerous usages of the term by public figures going back to the days of the Boston Tea Party, if not before. Not only that — the sales tax these dimwits are talking about is far from fair.
By Nancy
April 24, 2007 10:04 AM | Link to this
Mr. By they are Idiots, and you have to be a man because any woman know that Mr.Richardson is elected by his distict in Paulding county.And in Paulding County Glen is our hero!
By Darrell
April 24, 2007 10:12 AM | Link to this
Nancy, make that “Liberal Man” please.
By Tony Original
April 24, 2007 11:46 AM | Link to this
Most people LIKE it? Have you taken a poll? No one even HAS it yet. I hope the check comes at the same time their property tax bill arrives. When they see how much tax they pay and then see $50 as their refund, Richardson will be chased into AL.
By Nancy
April 24, 2007 11:58 AM | Link to this
I don’t care if it’s $50.00 or 50 cents. It’s my money and it should be returned to me. I proud to say that and proud to say that Speaker Glenn Richardson is fighting for me.
By Guy Davis
April 24, 2007 12:48 PM | Link to this
It seems to me that the budget differences began when the house “Republicans” in pure Democrat fashion decided to pledge $150,000,000 in pork to the supplemental budget to which the Senate, Casey Cagle and the Governor objected. The petulant House decided if they couldn’t have pork then they’d return the money to its source rather than reserve the funds. The great idea of a “tax refund” to the voters was a ploy by the House to get even with the Senate for not going along on such a traditional exploitive use of the tax payers’ dollar for pet projects. The House leadership reasoned that the Senate would not dare go on record against returning tax money to the taxpayers and they were right. Damn poor public policy! There are many deserving underfunded items in the Supplemental budget that fairly demand attention but if the money is not going for such purposes it should be held in reserve. Those gullible among us who applaud recouping some $65 bucks in taxes are as responsible as those they elected for the staging of this ridiculous flap. It would cost the State’s Taxpayers a lot of money just to pay the incidental costs of returning the funds to them not to mention the costs of the coming special session just to thrash it all out. Sonny got it right on this one!
By Bill Kecskes
April 24, 2007 1:24 PM | Link to this
Mr. Davis - I beg to differ sir! If the first thing on legislator’s minds is a tax refund; then that would be an excellent public policy.
We’re told the “cost” of mailing checks on the $142mm refund is in the area of $2mm to $3mm - ok, so be it.
I’m embarrassed to say the Governor DID NOT get it right with his veto. Yes, it’s his right to veto; true enough, but playing games with the “official veto transmittal letter” is a terrible wasteful joke that is resulting in a special session at a cost of $200k to $250k.
I’m also embarrased to say the LtGov got it wrong Friday not calling for a veto override vote. The House was the “chamber of origin” for HB 94 and if the House chose to override, then the Senate was clearly obligated to hold the vote.
Had the Senate overrode HB 94 - the issue would have been settled on Friday without an expensive and wasteful special session.
Had the Senate not overrode HB 94, the financing issues could have been easily incorporated into HB 95; thus precluding the need for a wasteful and expensive special session.
When will common sense and a taxpayer’s first attitude finally be the priority order of business under the Gold Dome instead of the silly expensive games we’ve seen of late?
By Nancy
April 24, 2007 1:32 PM | Link to this
I suppose to agree to keep money there to defend criminals and keep up dead beats!! Where the Senate disagree with the a memorial to Gerogia fallen Soilders and Conservation of 7000 acres of wooded land. Oh, not to mention the tax break the governor wanted to give to RICH Seniors. I think the HOUSE has had it right all along
By Tony Original
April 24, 2007 4:32 PM | Link to this
Nancy,
If you’re proud of someone getting you $50 back after paying a few thousand, you have shallow expecations of your elected officials. If this little token give-back after they’ve been in office for how many years is all they can come up with, I’d say we’ve got the wrong “conservatives” in office.
By I hate you
April 25, 2007 12:02 PM | Link to this
you guys suck! Ben harbin and his sexy daughter rules! <33
F*!