Subject: Support for HR 25 / S 25 Comment: I would like to take this opportunity to respond to your request for comments. I am a Realtor in suburban Atlanta, GA and I believe HR 25 as proposed by Rep. John Linder is the correct solution to the tax woes of this country. My support for HR 25 (FairTax) comes from my belief that allowing the people to use their money, prior to being taxed, will spur investment and savings. Having more to invest will bring more people into the Real Estate market growing both the market and the economy. The ability to save more will allow more families to put themselves in a position to achieve the American dream of home ownership. In Real Estate we deal with many people whose occupation is “handy man”. Most of those are self employed and a number of them work strictly for cash. If I correctly understand the relationship between American citizens and paying income taxes it becomes very easy for me to believe that some portion of that cash income is not reported or taxed. FairTax would be a large step toward correcting that. I believe that corporations will “pass along” the savings realized under FairTax if for no other reason than competition. Those savings will make the impact of adding a sales tax minimal and American companies will be more competitive with imported goods and services. Because I work strictly for commissions, which requires me to file my taxes quarterly, and increases my cost of paying taxes by more than $500 per year. Also, being self-employed, I am responsible for all of my Social Security, not just half. My wife is a salaried employee of a large corporation and would realize a 26% increase in take home pay under FairTax. I could go into all the altruistic reasons for recommending FairTax; but others can probably do a better job in that area. My reason for writing is simply to provide a point of view of an average, middle class American family. Sincerely, Duane R. Neighbors |