Chairman’s Report - October 12, 2018

HE TRIED TO RAISE YOUR TAXES. BY A LOT. WE’RE NOT KIDDING.

The above is the headline of a webpage put up by the Florida Democratic Party attacking Ron DeSantis, the Republican gubernatorial candidate, for his support of the FAIRtax.
 
Their statement is true.  They are not kidding, but they also are not telling the entire truth.  As Benjamin Franklin said, “Half a truth is often a great lie.” 
 
Here is a list of their “allegations” and the actual true data.

ALLEGATION
 
The DeSantis Tax Would Lead to Disaster
According to Forbes, President George W. Bush’s Tax Reform Panel more than a decade ago studied the tax for which DeSantis fought in Congress. That panel concluded “that the rates would have to be much higher than promised … would be very regressive … would be extremely expensive, hard for taxpayers to manage, and complex for the IRS to administer.” The panel also found that the tax “would result in widespread evasion and create real problems for states that rely heavily on their own sales taxes.”
 
TRUTH
 
Almost all economists, even if identified as being liberal, agree that a consumption-based tax like the FAIRtax will create more economic growth than the present payroll/income tax system.  (See this open letter to the President signed by leading economists.)  You can also review a summary of the economic studies here.
 
This is even truer today than it was 13 years ago because of the increasing negative impact of the present income/payroll system which penalizes U.S. exports and rewards foreign imports. 
 
The other problem with the study cited is that they did not look at the FAIRtax but at a consumption bill far different and they ignored the prebate/tax credit, just like candidate Gillum’s team.
 
Using IRS and government figures, Dr. Cebula’s study projected that evasion under the present system would total $9 trillion in the next ten years.   
 
ALLEGATION
 
Consumers Would Be Shocked By the DeSantis Tax
According to the Tax Policy Center, “if this tax ever did become law, it would induce staggering sticker shock among consumers and massive evasion would follow. ‘Paper or plastic’ would be replaced with a new question at the checkout line: ‘How much for cash?’”
 
TRUTH
 
The idea that consumers could go to Walmart or Publix and get them to not charge the FAIRtax on the purchases is beyond absurd.  Over 90% of the retail purchases are now made by less than 10% of the retailers and these retailers are not going to “cheat” by not charging the FAIRtax.
 
In fact, as the study by Dr. Cebula cited above shows, the real evasion problem is with the income/payroll tax. 
 
ALLEGATION
 
Even Republicans Oppose the DeSantis Tax
DeSantis’ tax hike has drawn sharp rebuke even from members of his own party. During the gubernatorial primary, current Republican Party of Florida spokesperson Meredith Beatrice tried to raise the alarm about the threat a DeSantis administration posed to Florida.
 
In a press release, Beatrice said that “D.C. DeSantis three-times cosponsored a bill that would have imposed a 23 percent tax on everything we buy, robbing seniors and destroying the middle class.” Beatrice made clear that during his time in Washington, DeSantis had shown Floridians who he was. We should believe her.
 
Even conservative think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute think it’s a bad idea, saying “the math of the FairTax is simply unfair to middle-income America and conflicts with fiscal reality.”
 
TRUTH
 
Beatrice was speaking for failed candidate Adam Putnam when he was making similar unsubstantiated and incorrect allegations about the FAIRtax.  Quoting someone who made false statements as a defense to their false statements makes sense only if you believe like Lenin when advising his followers when they plotted to take over Russia, “A lie told often enough becomes the truth.”


ALLEGATION
 
Don’t Believe the DeSantis Spin
Supporters of policies similar to the DeSantis Tax like to claim a tax prebate — a monthly check sent by the government to every family in America, regardless of income — would prevent sharp tax increases on the middle class. That’s a lie.
Study after study has found that even with a prebate, a 23 percent federal sales tax would increase the burden on the middle class. The fact is, even if a prebate did protect the lowest-income taxpayers, the wealthiest do not spend enough to pay for the program. This leaves only one possibility: a massive tax hike for working families. One study found that even with a prebate program, 95 percent of taxpayers would see a tax hike under the DeSantis Tax.
 
TRUTH
 
It is interesting that the people that are quoted above as sources are all people who don’t understand simple math.  Otherwise, they could not make these outrageous claims about the prebate.  It is not hard to administrate and the effects are illustrated above.  It does not increase the burden on most families—just the opposite. 
 
In addition, the FAIRtax eliminates the most regressive federal tax, the Social Security and Medicare tax.  It doesn’t matter if you have one child or ten or if you make $20,000 or $200,000, you are taxed on the first dollar you make.  And, the Social Security portion of the tax is not applicable to people who make over $118,000. 
 
Finally, the main people objecting to the FAIRtax are the people who most profit from the present income/payroll tax system, the members of the Swamp.  The FAIRtax eliminates the need for “pundits” to discuss a feature of the income tax and puts the control of the amount of tax we pay in our hands.  Instead of taking the money before the worker gets the money, the worker gets his/her entire paycheck and pays tax by what they spend on new goods and services.


CONCLUSION

It is hard to believe that intelligent people would make these ludicrous allegations about the FAIRtax because they believed them to be true.  What is being said about the FAIRtax is with the hope that the people will not see that it is a lie.
 
While we have come to expect lies from politicians, we don’t have to allow them to go unchallenged.  The fact that these allegations are so easy to refute just shows that they are being made by desperate people who will do anything to maintain control over the rest of us and get their person elected who believes the same way.
 
See, these people believe that they are smarter than the rest of us and don’t believe that they are doing anything wrong when they lie about the FAIRtax—they are simply doing us a favor.
 
We can’t stop telling the truth and responding to these lies.  As Ulysses S. Grant said,
“In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues the attack wins.”
 
Gone are the times that the Swamp and their minions could win votes by issuing untruths about the FAIRtax.  As Winston Churchill said, “The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.” 
 
Greater numbers of Americans are beginning to recognize that our country needs to eliminate a system of winners and losers determined by who pays the most money, not by what is right. These Americans will be ignored by the politicians at their peril.

WHAT CAN EACH OF US DO


Call up the local or D.C. offices of your House Member and two Senators and you can use the following script:

• I am sure that Representative ____ or Senator ____ is in favor of everyone obeying the income tax laws.
• After they assure you that their boss is not in favor of anyone breaking the law, ask if they are aware of the Cebula study showing $9 trillion of evaded income/payroll taxes over the next ten years.
• Since most will say they don’t believe their boss has seen the study, either drop off a copy or get an email address and send a copy to them for their boss.
• Say you are going to call back in a week and ask what the Representative or Senator is going to do to stop this evasion.
• In a week, call back and ask specifically what the Representative or Senator is going to do to enforce the law.
• They probably will say their boss believes that simplifying the income tax will handle the problem.
• Explain that when people evade income taxes, they are also evading the 15.3% payroll/Medicare tax and state income tax.  So it is unlikely that they are going to pay 30% or 40% when they were paying 0% because they have already decided it is okay to cheat.
• Say that the only way to reduce evasion is to increase by tens or hundreds of thousands the number of comprehensive IRS audits done each year.
• Point out that Evaders do not self-identify by putting an “E” on their income tax return.
• 80% of the people likely to be audited are trying to comply, but they will be forced to endure these IRS audits as well.
• Ask if the Member is in favor of this?
• If they say no, then ask again how the Member proposes to stop people breaking the income tax laws.
• Then explain that the way to handle evasion without unleashing the IRS audits is the FAIRtax.

If you can see your Member or attend a town hall and ask these questions, you can be even more effective. 
 

FAIRTAX POWER RADIO


#129 THE FAIRTAX GUYS INTERVIEW A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

After a somewhat rocky start, The FAIRtax Guys interview Kerry Bowers who is an Air Force Combat Pilot veteran, business man, one time Presidential candidate and is also an expert on the FAIRtax.  

Interviewing a Presidential candidate is a first for the FAIRtax Guys and Kerry demonstrates his well-rounded understanding of every aspect of the FAIRtax and its effects on life in America.  

Whether it’s the Prebate, Social Security, the enormous evasion of the current income tax, international trade or why Congress does not embrace HR 25, Kerry offers his insights to these issues and more.  

As always, this is a very informative episode of FAIRtax Power Radio so watch, listen and share it with others.
 
Be sure to inform everyone you know about the new FAIRtax Power Radio - the ONLY weekly FAIRtax digital TV show in the country!  Watch every Wednesday at 11:30 AM (ET).  We are streaming to Facebook LIVE (www.facebook.com/fairtax).  If you’re not a fan of Facebook, you can watch FAIRtax Power Radio on xcluded.tv at the same broadcast time - or any time.  

FTPR podcasts for each show are posted on Spreaker (http://bit.ly/2oesbk7), iTunes & iHeart Radio every Friday morning.  A free FAIRtax Power Radio app is available for iOS and Android.  Since it’s a podcast, you can download it and play it whenever it’s convenient for you.

The Facebook videos are saved to a number of pages:
FAIRtax Official (https://www.facebook.com/FairTax/) 
The FAIRtax Guys (https://www.facebook.com/thefairtaxguys/) 
Democrats for FAIRtax (https://www.facebook.com/DemocratsForFairTax/)
and many others. 

Xcluded.tv is a subscription based site which costs $30 per year and features a number of other shows along with FTPR with no commercial interruption. 

Please help us educate as many Americans about the FAIRtax as possible.  Be sure to tell everyone you know about this great new format for FAIRtax Power Radio.  Whether you watch the weekly video or listen to the weekly podcast, this is a great way for more Americans to learn about the best tax reform plan in Congress at this time.

Tune into our video broadcast each Wednesday.  If you prefer, you can listen to the podcast of the show later.  You can listen to FTPR on any platform - Mac or PC, iPhone or Android. And it’s 100% free.  Listen on Spreaker.com (http://bit.ly/2oesbk7), iTunes (http://apple.co/1Te8VdF) or iHeart Radio (http://bit.ly/2eqEG7y) on your computer or smartphone.  The easiest way to listen to FTPR on your smartphone is by downloading the free FTPR app.  Just search for “FAIRtax Power Radio” in your app store, download the app and start listening.  

Remember, FTPR digital TV every Wednesday at 11:30 AM (ET) followed by the podcast on Friday morning.  Please listen and tell everyone you know about the FAIRtax Power Radio.  The FAIRtax: Once You Understand It, You’ll Demand It!

A SMALL BOOK ON A BIG SUBJECT - AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION

America’s Big Solution is a basic introduction to the FAIRtax and is meant for people of any age.  And you can download it to your tablet or smartphone right now.  Also available in print form.  See below.
 
Do you know someone who would like an introduction to the FAIRtax and would prefer to read about it in a booklet rather than search online for Tweets, Posts and Shares?  If so, America’s Big Solution is their best choice.
 
America’s Big Solution is an introduction to the FAIRtax written by Terry Tibbetts, author of A Spartan Game: The Life and Loss of Don Holleder, with help from Ron Maiellaro, President of the Florida FAIRtax Educational Association  

You can buy an electronic version of ABS as follows:  AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION is available for only $2.99 for the Amazon Kindle (http://amzn.to/1WIRHry), the Barnes & Noble Nook (http://bit.ly/1XeG8bH) and Apple iOS (http://apple.co/1tnqK0P).  

You can purchase a print copy at the same Amazon link above for $9.25.  Regardless of whether you choose the electronic format or the print format, you’ll find AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION will give someone the boost they need to begin their study of the FAIRtax and the suggested resources to learn more. Buy AMERICA’S BIG SOLUTION now!

LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION

These links will help you promote and support the FAIRtax, make yourself familiar with the links below. We always do our best to keep our AFFT community up to date, and you can stay ahead of the curve using these convenient sites.

• The website of Americans for Fair Taxation (www.fairtax.org)
• Read the Summary of the Evasion Study. 
• Welcome to the Online FAIRtax Community  (member.fairtax.org) 
• The website at which you can help make it happen. (www.bigsolution.org)
• The Facebook page for Americans for Fair Taxation 
• The Facebook page for The FAIRtax Guys 
• The Twitter page for Americans for Fair Taxation 
• PopVox - Connecting people and lawmakers for more effective participation and better governing 
• YouTube channel for AFFT 
• YouTube channel for The FAIRtax Guys
• The Official FAIRtax Logo Store (www.fairtaxlogostore.org)
• Xcluded.tv - A new platform for FAIRtax Power Radio Video and other shows.

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