Sales taxes are not regressive; they're simply not progressive.
I often disagree with Huckabee but I do agree that a general sales tax is among the simpler and more equitable tax revenue producing methods employed by modern industrial nations.
Theres no such thing as a fair tax but some methods are more equitable than others. Opponents fault ales taxes as being regressive.
Due to special strokes for special folks, (i.e. tax loop holes reducing higher earners taxable incomes, progressive income taxes are more regressive and less progressive than conservatives would have us believe them to be. Sales taxes are not regressive but they are less progressive than progressive income taxes.
[Prior to our temporary current waiver of FICA payroll taxes, even the working poor that did not qualify for Medicaid paid the employees 7.65% of their gross wages a their share of FICA. Wealthier earners have much less or no incomes classified as employment compensation. Investors, speculators or those with various non-employment incomes pay little or no FICA taxes.
The working poor pay little or no income taxes but considering that they are among our nations poorest segment of our nations income earners, directly taxing 7.65% of those that cannot medical insurance is a national disgrace. Mitt Romney is among our nations very highest income earners and last year possibly paid no more than 15% of his incomes for income taxes.
We cannot satisfy those who object to progressive tax rates unless we can retain revenue neutrality and/or we can sufficiently reduce or eliminate tax loop holes and/or reduce spending, and/or increase our tax rates and/or our debts and/or further financially bleed our poor.
We can forego revenue neutrality if were willing to accept additional federal debt or reduce spending. All parties agree that we should reduce spending but we cannot concur upon which spending items should be reduced or eliminated.
We could also eliminate progressive tax rates by simply bleeding an additional 7.65% of taxes from the working poor. I iterate our taxing 7.65% of those that cannot afford medical insurance is a national disgrace. To increase the rate of their taxation would be a despicable act.]
I advocate reducing tax rates upon net incomes by eliminating unjustifiable and inequitable reductions of taxable incomes. I further advocate that the per-capita reducing a percentage of taxable incomes, we grant greater consideration for poorer taxpayers by granting a specific per capita amount of tax credit per taxpayer and their dependents. Furthermore that per-capita amount should be annually cost of living adjusted by governments statisticians rather than by the legislators political determinations.
I advocate that tax credit be granted only for taxpayers and dependents that have been covered by a federally qualified health insurance policy and those policies should additionally be subsidized by the federal single payer. All of these tax credit amounts should be annually cost of living adjusted, (i.e. COLAd). THIS could also justify replacing some flat amounts of taxable income with a general sales tax.
A general sales tax can be drafted to be somewhat progressive by identifying and favoring items that are a greater portion of less wealthy families purchases. We can waive sales taxes upon non-restaurants or caterers provided foods and medicines. We can waive sales taxes upon a capped amounts of each commuter trip or monthly residential rentals or utility bills.
(Those capped amounts should be COLA'd).
Respectfully, Supposn
I often disagree with Huckabee but I do agree that a general sales tax is among the simpler and more equitable tax revenue producing methods employed by modern industrial nations.
Theres no such thing as a fair tax but some methods are more equitable than others. Opponents fault ales taxes as being regressive.
Due to special strokes for special folks, (i.e. tax loop holes reducing higher earners taxable incomes, progressive income taxes are more regressive and less progressive than conservatives would have us believe them to be. Sales taxes are not regressive but they are less progressive than progressive income taxes.
[Prior to our temporary current waiver of FICA payroll taxes, even the working poor that did not qualify for Medicaid paid the employees 7.65% of their gross wages a their share of FICA. Wealthier earners have much less or no incomes classified as employment compensation. Investors, speculators or those with various non-employment incomes pay little or no FICA taxes.
The working poor pay little or no income taxes but considering that they are among our nations poorest segment of our nations income earners, directly taxing 7.65% of those that cannot medical insurance is a national disgrace. Mitt Romney is among our nations very highest income earners and last year possibly paid no more than 15% of his incomes for income taxes.
We cannot satisfy those who object to progressive tax rates unless we can retain revenue neutrality and/or we can sufficiently reduce or eliminate tax loop holes and/or reduce spending, and/or increase our tax rates and/or our debts and/or further financially bleed our poor.
We can forego revenue neutrality if were willing to accept additional federal debt or reduce spending. All parties agree that we should reduce spending but we cannot concur upon which spending items should be reduced or eliminated.
We could also eliminate progressive tax rates by simply bleeding an additional 7.65% of taxes from the working poor. I iterate our taxing 7.65% of those that cannot afford medical insurance is a national disgrace. To increase the rate of their taxation would be a despicable act.]
I advocate reducing tax rates upon net incomes by eliminating unjustifiable and inequitable reductions of taxable incomes. I further advocate that the per-capita reducing a percentage of taxable incomes, we grant greater consideration for poorer taxpayers by granting a specific per capita amount of tax credit per taxpayer and their dependents. Furthermore that per-capita amount should be annually cost of living adjusted by governments statisticians rather than by the legislators political determinations.
I advocate that tax credit be granted only for taxpayers and dependents that have been covered by a federally qualified health insurance policy and those policies should additionally be subsidized by the federal single payer. All of these tax credit amounts should be annually cost of living adjusted, (i.e. COLAd). THIS could also justify replacing some flat amounts of taxable income with a general sales tax.
A general sales tax can be drafted to be somewhat progressive by identifying and favoring items that are a greater portion of less wealthy families purchases. We can waive sales taxes upon non-restaurants or caterers provided foods and medicines. We can waive sales taxes upon a capped amounts of each commuter trip or monthly residential rentals or utility bills.
(Those capped amounts should be COLA'd).
Respectfully, Supposn
