Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later; me, writing about the FairTax, that is. Now, with multiple Republicans dropping hints that they’re going to be running for president in 2012, is the time. As the list of potential candidates grows, I’m being asked more frequently just who it is that I favor. Not being a member of the moocher class, and not seeking to use the police power of government to gain a competitive advantage in business, they know I’m not going to vote for a Democrat. A Libertarian candidate? Sorry, this is not the year for a third-party presidential candidate.
Bottom line: All other things equal, I’m behind the viable (and that excludes Sarah Palin) GOP candidate with the strongest record of support for the FairTax. Half-hearted utterances of support connected by the “but” word to well-worn and easily handled objections aren’t going to cut it. The FairTax is perhaps the most thoroughly researched piece of legislation ever considered by the Congress of the United States. Either you’re an advocate and you say so, or you’re against it — in which case it’s time to say “no” and come up with your own plan for tax reform.
It occurs to me that one or two readers might not know just what I’m talking about when I say FairTax. Simply put, the FairTax is a tax reform idea that ends all corporate and personal income and payroll taxes, plus the death tax and various taxes on investments, and replaces them all with a national retail sales tax. As one tax structure replaces the other, the price of consumer goods would remain essentially the same. Your choice: Would you rather pay taxes on what you spend or what you earn?
Message to candidates. Know this: When voters are adequately informed about the FairTax, they become supporters. Not casual supporters, but ardent, town-hall attending, petition-signing, contribution-making and eager-to-vote supporters. What’s not to like about the idea of getting 100 percent of your paycheck and being able to invest for your future without any tax liability?
Don’t want to name names here, but I had a viable GOP presidential candidate on my show this week who expressed reservations about the FairTax because of collection issues. He suggested that it would be difficult for the government to create the required collection and enforcement bureaucracy. Say what? That bureaucracy already exists in all but five states. It’s the same state revenue department that already collects the local sales taxes. Next objection?
Nobody’s fooled. It’s clear why D.C.-based politicians aren’t fond of the FairTax. Passage and implementation of the FairTax would, after all, be the largest transfer of power from government to the people in the history of this republic. For the most part, the politicians in D.C. are much more about power, privilege and perks than they are about public service. A politician unable to manipulate the tax code for the benefit of favored constituencies and campaign donors is a politician with all-too-few arrows in his quiver.
Another reason for the D.C. cabal to fear the FairTax? Try this scenario: Some state government decides that it is dealing with too many federal unfunded mandates. Imagine that state government withholding funds needed to implement a new mandate from FairTax remittances to the federal government. What are the feds to do? Send in the Marines?
So, you’re thinking of running for president, are you? Well, I’ve had far more conversations with a wider variety of people from coast to coast in the last year or so than any of you. Trust me when I say that advocating the FairTax and the end of all corporate and personal federal taxes, and the end of the IRS in the process, isn’t going to cost you votes that would have been yours anyway — but it will most certainly bring more supporters to your camp.
Stop the excuses and get on board. The train will most certainly leave without you.
Listen to Neal Boortz live from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays on AM 750 and now 95.5FM News/Talk WSB.
His column appears every Saturday. For more Boortz, go to boortz.com
