I wonder if people with fresh ideas can ever get elected

[kranky]

A guy running for Congress around us has campaign ads on radio and TV saying his opponent wants to impose a 23% sales tax on everything, and how can the senior citizens afford such a massive tax? How can anyone?

The ad fails to mention that the sales tax would be part of the Fair Tax, which would ALSO eliminate the income tax and the IRS. It only mentions a new 23% sales tax. And it turns out the opponent isn't even supporting the Fair Tax. It's just complete made-up BS.

I've heard people at work discussing this, most of whom say only a complete lunatic would try to win an election by proposing a new 23% sales tax. Of course, that's not exactly what is being proposed.

It's just discouraging to see how people choose their candidates based on radio/TV ads, 90% of which only badmouth the opponent and are uncontaminated by truthfulness. As long as that's how campaigns are run, and that's how people choose a candidate to vote for, I expect that the winners will be the candidates with the most money to spend almost every time.

 

[NeoV]

I think there needs to be a law about truth in advertising - political adds/discussion have so little of the truth in it - quite sad actually

 

[DanDaManJC]

How will you ever get people to listen to a 1 hour lecture on why the idea of a fair tax is somehow better? Point is... the only way for advertising to be honest, would be for them to go into gross detail.

ideally, when people hear the catch phrases, they hopefully have enough wit to do a bit of research and fact check. but even that is hard because we're absolutely drowned in a sea of dis-information.

 

[Jhhnn]

"Fair Tax" is a simple concept intended for consumption by people with simple minds who don't understand that it would radically favor america's wealthiest citizens. The vast majority of their income isn't spent on taxable items, but rather on stocks, bonds, real estate and businesses...

It's about as "fresh" an idea as the Roman head tax...

 

[dammitgibs]

I would support just about anything over the horribly broken system we have now. But it does bother me to think of tax as a percentage of income. The guy making 50k a year is going to be paying a much higher tax to income ratio than the guy that makes 200k year, depending on how much each consumes. I think it's more realistic to just impose a flat tax rate across the board, do away with all the hundreds of thousands of loopholes and deductions.

 

[Blackjack200]

A guy running for Congress around us has campaign ads on radio and TV saying his opponent wants to impose a 23% sales tax on everything, and how can the senior citizens afford such a massive tax? How can anyone?

The ad fails to mention that the sales tax would be part of the Fair Tax, which would ALSO eliminate the income tax and the IRS. It only mentions a new 23% sales tax. And it turns out the opponent isn't even supporting the Fair Tax. It's just complete made-up BS.

Who's running the ads? It seems like that kind of tax would be bad for senior citizens since most are earning less than they spend (i.e., spending down their 401(k)s and savings.)

 

[Perknose]

"Fair Tax" is a simple concept intended for consumption by people with simple minds who don't understand that it would radically favor america's wealthiest citizens. The vast majority of their income isn't spent on taxable items, but rather on stocks, bonds, real estate and businesses...

It's about as "fresh" an idea as the Roman head tax...

^^^ Pretty much this.

I would support just about anything over the horribly broken system we have now. But it does bother me to think of tax as a percentage of income. The guy making 50k a year is going to be paying a much higher tax to income ratio than the guy that makes 200k year, depending on how much each consumes. I think it's more realistic to just impose a flat tax rate across the board, do away with all the hundreds of thousands of loopholes and deductions.

What you tragically don't seem to understand is the simple fact that YOU @50k will be spending an FAR percentage of your income than the 200k guy on consumption of necessities, now ALL at the exact same rate.

This tax alone would hit you even harder than the graduated income tax does today.

Why don't you understand this? Why?

Any consumption tax is by it's very nature horribly and completely regressive, placing a ridiculously higher percentage burden for the cost of our government not only on the poor, but also on the broadest swath of the working middle class who have NO CHOICE but to spend most all of their income on necessities and who are already hurting.

The rich, near rich, and OT rich are fucking laughing at you.

Only the rich and near rich have a good reason to.

 

[piasabird]

The advantage to a sales tax is that everyone would have to pay it. You might ask, how about the poor? There are no poor for a sales tax. Of course we already pay special taxes on Gas, Cars, cigarettes, income (sometimes), dirver's Licenses, Real Estate, Alcohol, etc. All of these would have to be reevaluated for a Sales tax. Would the sales tax be on top of all that?

 

[Ryan711]

^^^ Pretty much this.



What you tragically don't seem to understand is the simple fact that YOU @50k will be spending an FAR percentage of your income than the 200k guy on consumption of necessities, now ALL at the exact same rate.

This tax alone would hit you even harder than the graduated income tax does today.

Why don't you understand this? Why?

Any consumption tax is by it's very nature horribly and completely regressive, placing a ridiculously higher percentage burden for the cost of our government not only on the poor, but also on the broadest swath of the working middle class who have NO CHOICE but to spend most all of their income on necessities and who are already hurting.

The rich, near rich, and OT rich are fucking laughing at you.

Only the rich and near rich have a good reason to.

So exempt necessities from taxation and give various credits for essential goods and services. There, problem solved.

 

[RSaylors]

^^^ Pretty much this.

Any consumption tax is by it's very nature horribly and completely regressive

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