Subject: My support for tax change. Comment: I, for one, am an idealistic 25 year old. Growing up, I was taught to play fair, don't lie, do unto others, good things come to those who earn it. I guess it's the child in me who still sees the world not playing fair and cheating. I wish I could tell on the teacher or my mom, but that's not going to help anyone. I support HR 25 ("FairTax Plan"). I'm not rich, and I doubt I'll ever have the income that many people on this list will have, so massive amounts of money won't be saved by this individual. The $2,500 I paid this year in Federal income taxes this year is small change to the politicians in DC who strut their stuff when they can spend a billion in one single vote. It's small change compared to the burden that some fellow taxpayers have, too. But then I look and see how Mrs. Heinz (Formerly Heinz-Kerry) paid 16% in income taxes on her $5 million (if memory serves me right), but the Pres. and First Lady Bush paid 28% on their $.5 million. Not trying to play politics, but these were the two most visible figures this past year. What makes one person pay half the rate of what the other had to in seemingly the same taxable income bracket? In my 25 year old world of idealisms, the Fair Tax will force more people to play fair than they are right now. The Fair Tax will open up commerce in a way like no other- if imbeded taxes are removed. The flexibility of a company is exponentially increased by the amount of savings that it had to pay out-of-pocket only to collect from customers. Businesses will gain the ability to do business. People no longer have to play "hide and go seek" with their money and it can be invested with less consequence. Investments gain power. With the imbeded taxes and subsequent tax loopholes, politicians will have to start listening to the people more- after all, isn't that WHY they wanted to be leaders of the country? Invisible taxes is invisible control on the people. My Green Party roommate retorts to me that "I don't want to not have a choice where I pay my taxes." He doesn't see it- he doesn't have a choice right now- he doesn't see the taxes, he's not a beneficiary of tax loopholes. Being a moderate Libertarian- or "Classic Liberal", I am for almost any gain of liberty for the individual. How can we decide how much liberty and freedom we really have when we don't see where the shackles of our tax code are? Giving the tax code directly- not indirectly- onto everyone in society under a tax system which everyone is treated equally not only takes power back from DC to the people from which they get their power, it also gives everyone who spends a dollar real power. Many people see how powerful a dollar is at the Dollar Store, but when everyone knows the strength it can have in direct saving and spending makes every person stronger. I embrace the idealism I've heard from a locally-based consumer advisor: The more visible and simple the costs and taxes of society, the freer that society really is. I am fresh from the playground, wide eyed with dreams as big as the sky, where virtues of honesty and fairness still are the rule. The grown-up playground is full of people who play bad games, breaking all the virtues: Honesty, Fairness and Liberty. That's why I want the Fairtax. It'll force some of you grownups to play Fair. |