Get ready Americans for the biggest screwing in all history. For some
time I have worried that the consumption tax (national sales tax) to
replace our income tax idea would take hold. This would be a nightmare
for low and middle income people. There is more and more talk every day
for this. Now that old geezer Greenspan is saying it is a good idea. He
adds that maybe we should also keep the income tax and have both. Since
the consumption tax would be a rich man's dream, that is probably what
we will end up with. With a consumption tax, the low and middle income
earners would pay all of the tax and the rich man would pay even less.
Americans had better start raising hell with their congressmen and
senators now to stop this before it gains anymore momentum. The only
fair income tax replacement would be a flat tax with the standard
deduction and the family member exemptions and no other deductions or
loopholes. Please help spread the word.

On Thu, 03 Mar 2005 23:25:18 GMT, Tax Man
wrote:
Get ready Americans for the biggest screwing in all history. For some
time I have worried that the consumption tax (national sales tax) to
replace our income tax idea would take hold. This would be a nightmare
for low and middle income people. There is more and more talk every day
for this. Now that old geezer Greenspan is saying it is a good idea. He
adds that maybe we should also keep the income tax and have both. Since
the consumption tax would be a rich man's dream, that is probably what
we will end up with. With a consumption tax, the low and middle income
earners would pay all of the tax and the rich man would pay even less.
Americans had better start raising hell with their congressmen and
senators now to stop this before it gains anymore momentum. The only
fair income tax replacement would be a flat tax with the standard
deduction and the family member exemptions and no other deductions or
loopholes. Please help spread the word.

We're already getting plenty screwed by taxes, or are you happy with
the way things are? In this situation I don't see that changing
things will make them worse. Why would a consumption tax be a rich
man's dream? You buy a yacht and you pay the taxes.

The tax that I really hate is the property tax. This is the one tax
that you cannot avoid paying for. No matter how low you cut your
expenditures, you can never cut this one. You can raise your own
food, patch your clothes, not spend money on cable, toys or other
trifles, but this tax won't care about that. It won't care if you're
old or sick or out of work. In effect, its government rent on living
on your property.

IMO income or consumption taxes are the only fair taxes, and I think a
combination would be best.

No income, no tax.

Of course there's a limit to how little consumption you can do -- you
have to eat, and you have to buy clothes and other things. Most
states have limits on what is taxed by their sales taxes, and this
should work the same way.

As for the rich man paying less, one part of being rich is that things
like taxes don't affect you as much as other people, though they do an
awful lot of crying about it. I also hear a lot of so called middle
income folks crying about having to pay taxes, but they own SUVs or
mini-vans, large screen digital TVs, designer jeans, and each of their
kids has a cell phone and often a car (not used either). Cut me a
break. Don't cry poverty if its not a fact.

As long as its fair, and tax loopholes are limited and are not just
for the rich, then I'm fine with it. I want to see changes in the tax
system.

The problem is if the people designing this are not interested in
fairness but in paying as little as possible for themselves or their
interest groups (not just the rich either). But that's a different
topic altogether.

Swyck

wrote:
...clip...No income, no tax.

I don't have my tax return in front of me, but I seem to remember a line
to the effect "Did you engage in any bartering transactions in 2004?".
I've never checked that, but it appears that the feds want to tax that
sort of thing as income also.


I do support the concept of local taxes. At least in a small town, your
tax money is spent on things that benefit you fairly directly, such as
roads, schools, and emergency personnel. The farther you get from local
(county, state, federal), the more indirect the benefits become, so that
by the federal level, the return on investment is very tenuous. In
addition, the small (local) government is IME less bureaucratic than the
large ones and thereby more efficient.

"Tax Man" wrote in message
...
Get ready Americans for the biggest screwing in all history. For some
time I have worried that the consumption tax (national sales tax) to
replace our income tax idea would take hold. This would be a nightmare
for low and middle income people. There is more and more talk every day
for this. Now that old geezer Greenspan is saying it is a good idea. He
adds that maybe we should also keep the income tax and have both.

I am 100% against this. Just look at our friends in the UK with 19% VAT
(value added tax).

Did I hear that they're thinking about taxing your computers also?

Janet Baraclough wrote:
...VAT is only 17.5 %. On almost every item AND service we buy. That's on
top of income tax, local tax, compulsory "National Insurance", and
taxes on fuel, property sales, inheritance, capital gains, etc etc etc..

Janet (UK)

How much per month do you pay for health care? Do you get health care if you arent
working? Ingrid

Janet Baraclough wrote:
Oh no Frank, you're soooo wrong :-)

VAT is only 17.5 %. On almost every item AND service we buy. That's on
top of income tax, local tax, compulsory "National Insurance", and
taxes on fuel, property sales, inheritance, capital gains, etc etc etc..

Janet (UK)



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Janet Baraclough wrote:
Oh no Frank, you're soooo wrong :-)

VAT is only 17.5 %. On almost every item AND service we buy. That's on
top of income tax, local tax, compulsory "National Insurance", and
taxes on fuel, property sales, inheritance, capital gains, etc etc etc..

How much per month do you pay for health care? Do you get health care
if you arent
working? Ingrid

Nothing, and yes. The whole UK has free health care provided by the
state for everyone, funded by the tax system.


I live in NZ, which also has "socialised" medical care,
"funded by the tax system."

But it certainly doesn't feel "free" when I am writing
out those large cheques to Inland Revenue and ACC.


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