Debate: Would Fair Tax Act Help Fix a Broken System?

Bloink: While the GOP proposals may go a bit too far, it’s clear that our current system is overly complex and burdensome for ordinary Americans — and we need to take steps to fix the broken system. There is a certain appeal to replacing the income tax system with a more robust sales tax system — after all, it’s the wealthy Americans who spend the most, and this could be a way to force them to pay their fair share.

Byrnes: Relying solely on a sales tax to fund the government is completely untenable. The complete overhaul that would be required would create an administrative nightmare — and the bottom line is that it’ll simply never happen.

Bloink: Under today’s system, wealthy Americans simply don’t pay their fair share. While this proposal is perhaps a much oversimplified shell that would obviously be modified by nuanced exceptions, it would be a huge step toward a more equal tax system in which taxpayers would be required to pay taxes to maintain their lifestyle choices as consumers. The more you can afford to buy, the more you can afford to pay the government in tax dollars.

Byrnes: This proposal would completely overhaul our tax code — and many supporters aren’t fully considering what that means. The child tax credit, earned income tax credit and deduction for charitable giving would all be eliminated — because the entire concept of taxable income would be eliminated. Millions of Americans would be left to struggle financially because these valuable tax provisions offer much-needed assistance from the federal government.

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