| Consumption taxes |
Poster: WhosPlayin Posted: 2006/6/10 1:48:08 One other thing I failed to mention earlier, but bothers me about the "Fair Tax" plan is that government will lose its power to use taxation as a carrot and stick to encourage or discourage certain activities. For instance, "sin" taxes: Alcohol and tobacco NEED to be taxed to a point that keeps the demand lower AND funds programs to pay restitution to victims of drunk driving, or reimburse healthcare providers for treating indigents with lung cancer Gasoline and other petroleum products also need to be taxed to a point where there is a good incentive to use less of it. There are lots of things in our society that we consume but don't pay the full price when we purchase. Oil dependence being a prime example - heck fossil fuels in general. How many coal miners have died? How many wars will be fought to ensure the oil keeps flowing? What is the value in dollars per acre of land that is permanently contaminated by industrial pollution? Who reimburses my sons for their lost time when they have asthma attacks from air pollution or some a-hole's cigarette? I don't think 23% is enough for ALL goods and services. And it's too much for others. One noteable exception the authors made was that college tuition should be non-taxable. |