It seems that there is a bill pending that would abolish the IRS, repeal the national income tax, and replace it with something called a consumption tax. Fox Digital reports:
Republicans in the House of Representatives will vote on a bill that would abolish the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), eliminate the national income tax, and replace it with a national consumption tax.
This is a debate we need to have. I'm not sure what a national consumption tax will look like, but we knew that the IRS targets conservatives. Ever since Lois Lerner was allowed to take the 5th before Congress and slip into retirement, we have been aware that the IRS is a corrupt organization. I have no reason to believe that they have amended their practices.
However, I am a bit leery of what a national consumption tax might look like.
This bill is probably doomed in the Senate, and I doubt that Biden would sign it into law, but it is a discussion that we need to have.
Hopefully it is something like the Fair Tax, and this will start a dialog of taxation in the US. As a meme I saw recently had it:
ReplyDeleteIRS: You mist pay your taxes.
Me: How much?
IRS: You decide.
Me: So I can pay what I want?
IRS: No, we know haw much you owe, and if you don't pay enough you go to jail.
Bring it on. Even if it dies in the Senate. Take it to a vote.
ReplyDeleteThis is BS theater. The Sixteenth Amendment authorizes Congress to pass an income tax, so in theory Congress could repeal the income tax law, too. But the next Congress could just reimpose it, so you'd have a ridiculous back-and-forth every few years. The only way to change it is to repeal the Sixteenth Amendment, and I'm gonna say that will never happen. After all, the only amendment that's ever been repealed is the Eighteenth.
ReplyDeleteIts an interesting concept. If nothing else, eliminating the cost of that agency would be a huge savings to the electorate. Alas, the government will never, ever end any of its programs, most certainly not the IRS.
ReplyDeleteI can see it working... here in TN we have no state income tax. None, zero. Don't even file a form (and fewer state employees as a result, too). We have a high sales tax (9.25%) that is applied to everything and paid by everybody. Food, cars, diapers, everything. No sin taxes, smokes and beer pay 9.25% too) EVERYONE pays the same. If I buy a chevy and you buy a mercedes, you pay more in taxes, but we both pay the same percent. Fair IS fair. Somehow our politicians make it work, we have a budget surplus every year.
Consumption tax? It's nothing more than a VAT tax similar to what the europeans have.
ReplyDeleteWhy did they go after this area first? The collection of taxes? Why didn't they begin to STOP SPENDING?!?!!??
Er, sorry for the shouting but...."they" need to get rid of expenses first. Like ANY citizen would in their personal budget. They should get rid of the Dept. of Education first. That turd has caused all of the "wokeism" in the schools. IF there is anything that it does, that is really needed (highly unlikely) then shift that part over to the Dept of Agriculture.
As mentioned, a national consumption tax, i.e. sales tax, would probably be even worse, and a change in a future Congress would likely bring back income tax AND keep a sales tax.
ReplyDeleteCompare to Canada where they have both, among many other taxes.
If we did have a national consumption tax, there would be a huge and continuing fight over what is taxed and what is exempt.