Posted by
LT JTK on Friday, July 07, 2006 8:49:02 AM
I have a solution to gay marriage, government spending (big government in general), the IRS, and creating a strong economy. Well, ok, it's not my solution. It's a bill in congress right now, submitted by Congressman Linder (R-GA) and has numerous cosponsors in both the House and Senate, and is being trumpeted most loudly by nationally syndicated radio talk show host Neal Boortz. It's called the Fair Tax.
A quick and dirty explanation of what the Fair Tax is:
The Fair Tax is a single-rate, federal retail sales tax collected only once, at the final point of purchase of new goods and services for personal consumption. Used items are not taxed. Business-to-business purchases for the production of goods and services are not taxed. A rebate makes the effective rate progressive.
- www.fairtax.org
Essentially, remove all federal taxes of all kinds. No capital gains, no FICA, no Social Security, no death tax. Now replace these taxes with a retail sales tax at the point of sale to the consumer. The rate (about 23%) has been calculated to be revenue neutral, meaning that you will experience no lessening in your buying power, but no gain either.
The benefits of this plan are that you can save and invest with no penalty. You know exactly how much tax you are paying, and you no longer have to fill out tax returns. The IRS will be all but eliminated, and the tax code abolished. A pre-bate will be issued to handle traditionally nontaxable items monthly, and the lowest income citizens will be offered even more financial help from the government. I encourage you to read more on this plan or post questions and I will do my best to address them.
You are probably wondering how this has anything to do with gay marriage. One of the supreme benefits of marriage is the tax incentives. Why should our federal government be involved at all in marriage? Isn't marriage first and foremost a religious ceremony? If we pass the Fair Tax, we no longer have a need (or a place) for tax incentives of any kind, including marriage. Marriage needs to be placed back in the church, synagogue, mosque, temple, etc. The government has no reason to be involved in the private lives of it's citizens unless a crime has been committed. gay marriage? If you find a church (etc.) willing to marry you, you're married. Yes marriage has become a status symbol, but at it's heart it is a link between two people in the eyes of God, and only God should be involved. The only case where government should be involved is in the case of divorce, in which case a judge or arbiter will determine property ownership and child visitation, and that should be handled at the local level.
The other major advantage is the control of government spending. No more lobbying for favorable tax codes, no more pandering. The power is in the hands of the people, who can decide to buy used articles and vote with their dollars.
How many other social issues can this help solve? Fire away.
LTJ