Vivant krijgt navolging in de Verenigde Staten

[Roland Duchâtelet]

Fair Tax reform will give US a major competitive advantage versus Europe

One of the things that should put Europe really on red alert is the Fair Tax movement in the USA. It is best illustrated by what can be read at www.salestax.org. Why is this important ? Because it applies the free economy principle on the scale of the USA as a nation. The Social Security idea in Europe might be a noble idea, but it is hopelessly inefficient because it is based on a redistribution scheme by taxing labour and using government bureaucracy to redistribute the wealth. In most cases, this redistribution costs as much in administration as money is given out. As a result, labour tax is twice as high as needed and the bulk of the government finances are spent on salaries. In Belgium this amounts to a tax rate that on average is 200 % if one takes the labour cost versus the net spending income.

To quote from www.fairtax.org, "Simply put, the FairTax replaces the way we're currently taxed - based on our annual income - with a tax on goods and services. The FairTax is a voluntary “consumption" tax: the more you buy, the more you pay in taxes, the less you buy, the less you pay in taxes. It's simple. Everyone pays their fair share of taxes, and with the FairTax rebate, spending up to the poverty level is tax free. The Federal government is fully funded, including Social Security and Medicare, and you don't need an expert to determine your Federal taxes.

The FairTax is now before the U.S. Congress. The House version is HR 25 and the Senate version is S 1493. Listed below is a summary of the bill and a link to the bill on the Library of Congress web site. Additionally, any national retail sales tax proposal will need to be accompanied by a proposal to repeal the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution. The proposal is significant and has far-reaching consequences. It replaces almost all form of tax by a single 23 % sales tax. In particular all forms of labour and income tax are abolished. In the light of the above listed tax rates, this will make the US economy even more competitive. Not just by abolishing these taxes but also by drastically reducing the administrative burden. Mind you, US citizens have their share of it as well, but less than European citizens.
Summary of HR 25 - S 1493

Imposes a 23% (tax-inclusive) sales tax on the purchase of new goods and services in the U.S.
Lets workers keep their entire paycheck and retirees keep their entire pension.
Abolishes the IRS and ends all audits of individual taxpayers.
Replaces the federal income tax. Frees individuals from ever filing a tax return again.
Replaces all payroll taxes including Social Security and Medicare taxes. Current Social Security and Medicare benefits would not change.
Replaces corporate and self-employment taxes.
Eliminates all hidden federal taxes.
Provides a universal rebate equal to the sales taxes paid on essential goods and services to ensure that no American pays taxes on necessities.
Replaces all estate, gift, and capital gains taxes.
Dramatically lowers tax rates for low- and middle-income Americans.
Closes all tax loopholes.
Brings accountability to tax policy.
Lets American-made products compete fairly.
Bright minds were there before us.

"The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax" (Albert Einstein)
And did you know that Income Tax was unconstitutional until 1913 in the USA ?

"It is a signal advantage of taxes on articles of consumption, that they contain in their own nature a security against excess. They prescribe their own limit; which cannot be exceeded without defeating the end proposed, that is, an extension of the revenue. When applied to this object, the saying is as just as it is witty, that, "in political arithmetic, two and two do not always make four." If duties are too high, they lessen the consumption; the collection is eluded; and the product to the treasury is not so great as when they are confined within proper and moderate bounds. This forms a complete barrier against any material oppression of the citizens by taxes of this class, and is itself a natural limitation of the power of imposing them." - Alexander Hamilton in Federalist No. 21, December 12, 1787

Work For All is a think-thank with a single focus. Finding the model of society that provides work to all its citizens. In particular in Europe this is a serious issue. Taking Belgium as a case study, only a quarter of the population is at work in the private sector and is highly taxed on its labour. We believe that economic models like those proposed by the Fair Tax movement are appropriate models of society for the 21st century. It effects reach way beyond this economic measure. It will free the citizens again and give them back their freedom they have lost in a society that is overly organized with inefficient administration and bureaucracy. Belgium is a good case study because it is a small, nevertheless complex country in the middle of Europe. And it even has a small political party, created first as a citizens movement (Vivant) reaching for a similar goal. It will be an interesting exercise to see if the established political power groups will open their mind and for once put aside their short term interests in view of a prosperous future for the current and next generations.

Paul Freeman at www.WorkForAll.org

[Erw]

Nu nog navolging krijgen bij de VLD...

[Guderian]

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door Roland Duchâtelet

Vivant krijgt navolging in de Verenigde Staten

Dat is dan een reden te meer om dat hier zeker niet te doen. De VSA zijn zowat het meest asociale kapitalistische land dat bestaat, met miljoenen daklozen en kansloze armen.

[Max]

Fantastisch nieuws.

[Erw]

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door Guderian

Dat is dan een reden te meer om dat hier zeker niet te doen. De VSA zijn zowat het meest asociale kapitalistische land dat bestaat, met miljoenen daklozen en kansloze armen.

Ik vraag me eigenlijk af wat U WEL goed vindt. Vivant's main goal is mensen werk geven en vrijer te maken. Hoe kan dat nou fout zijn..........................

[Patriot!]

Oorspronkelijk geplaatst door Guderian

Dat is dan een reden te meer om dat hier zeker niet te doen. De VSA zijn zowat het meest asociale kapitalistische land dat bestaat, met miljoenen daklozen en kansloze armen.

Daarom dat ze het willen verandere he slimmerik

[Herman Desmedt ©HD]

Goed zo : Dan kunnen we meteen zien hoe het evolueert.

En gezien de VS het toepast zal ook hier de druk groter worden om ideetjes door te laten sijpelen.

Nu nog graag 2 bijkomende ideetjes :
- een apart maar gecontroleerd economisch circuit voor levensnoodzakelijke dingen : Geen woekerwinsten op basisvoedsel, water en verzorging enz. Dat circuit moet geponsort worden door de belastingen op het normale economische circuit
- kapitalisatiefonds ten laste van mechanisatie: De robots in de toekomst voor de mensen laten werken.