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I. CATS Past History
What is CATS? How,
when, and why did CATS get started? A brief history
of CATS humble beginnings.
What is CATS?
Citizens for an
Alternative Tax System (CATS) is a national
grassroots non-profit organization committed to
bringing about the end of the income tax and the IRS
by replacing both with a national retail sales tax
(NRST).
At it's heart, CATS is really a
great idea of historic proportions that springs from
very humble beginnings. Today this idea is carried
forward by the commitment of dedicated group of
volunteers that grow in number as the idea is shared
from person to person.
How, When, and Where Was CATS
Formed?
CATS was founded in
1990 as a non-profit legislative action and public
education organization. CATS exists only to represent
the interests of voters and taxpayers who want to
help solve America's serious social and economic
difficulties by establishing a fair and simple NRST
to replace the IRS and federal income taxes,
including corporate and personal income taxes, and
estate, gift, and non-trust fund excise taxes.
CATS is not, was
not, and will never be a front for a narrow, special
interest group, nor a "look-busy" investigative
review board for a Washington Congressional
committee. Before there was CATS, there was only a
series of conversations between a handful of
concerned taxpayers. In their discussions, they found
they shared a vision for a better future for their
families and their country.
Essentially, CATS
began in mid-1990, when a few concerned taxpayers in
Glendale, California, including Steven Hayes and
Victor Krohn, began discussing the economic hardships
and loss of freedoms that Americans have suffered as
a result of the federal income tax system. These
individuals had the clarity of vision to see that the
IRS and the income tax are an unnecessary,
debilitating strain on the socio-economic fabric of
our country, so they focused on how to resolve those
issues.
They saw that
collecting federal taxes with the same simple kind of
sales tax used by most states was not only very
possible, but that it would actually relieve the
overwhelming burdens of economic hardship and
invasion of privacy placed on U.S. citizens by the
present federal tax system. They formed a plan and
agreed to take it to the street.
They started
immediately by going out their community and talking
to neighbors and passersby. Soon, it became obvious
that this was an idea whose time had come. One year
later, CATS was a chartered, national organization of
dedicated volunteers with over 300 chapters across
the United States.
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II. CATS in the Present
Today CATS holds a key
position in the strongest tax reform movement in the
U.S. since the income tax began. Thousands of CATS
volunteers every day are spreading the message of
personal and economic freedom that the NRST offers.
But CATS methods have become considerably more
sophisticated than merely talking to people on street
corners (though we still do that, too!).
CATS' message has
appeared in countless letters to the editors of local
newspapers and national and international
publications of every kind. People have spent
thousands of hours discussing the NRST on local and
nationally syndicated radio and television programs,
casual community gatherings, town hall meetings, and
all the way into in the halls of the House of
Representatives and the Senate. Even the President
and Presidential hopefuls have recognized of the
growing popularity and enthusiasm for the NRST
plan.
Now members of CATS'
all-volunteer executive administration are widely
recognized as foremost authorities on tax reform in
general and particularly the plan to replace federal
income taxes with a national sales tax. The handful
of individuals who once launched this plan on the
streets of California are now sought out by members
of Congress who continually receive inquiries from
the public about this bold plan to restore individual
freedoms and revitalize America's economy.
The fact that
Washington is now keenly aware of the benefits of the
NRST - and the public's desire for it - does not mean
that CATS' work is completed, nor even nearly
completed. There is still a formidable challenge
facing NRST proponents, and it is crucial that CATS
volunteers continue to gather support from voters and
taxpayers as well as elected officials.
Today, CATS' effort
is in the home stretch, poised on the brink of
success. To carry this vision through to it's place
in history, CATS volunteers must increase the number
and the volume of voices that carry our message of
freedom. For more information about what CATS is
doing today, call CATS at 1-800-767-7577
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III. CATS in the Future
Members look forward to
the briefest possible future for CATS.
The best possible
future for CATS members, is the passing of our
historic legislation into law. When that occurs, the
CATS organization will be dissolved, so CATS members
are actually working very hard to become
unnecessary.
Today, for the first
time in history, and largely due to the research,
determination, and plain hard work of CATS volunteers
across the country, there is a bill pending before
Congress to abolish the IRS and the income tax and
replace them both with the NRST. The bill is H.R.
1467, the National Retail Sales Tax Act of 1999.
[Note: H.R. 1467 will be replaced by the number H.R.
2001 later in 1999]
The future, as CATS
members see it, is to see the end of the IRS and
federal income taxes in the United States before the
year 2002. This bright future is approaching us more
rapidly today than ever before, but it is not yet
certain and it is not yet here.
You can make this
future arrive faster. You can help bring the best
future possible into reality for yourself, your
family, your neighbors, your community, your country.
The more you do, the faster that future becomes
today. For more information about what you can do to
forge a future we all can live with, call CATS at
1-800-767-7577.
How much do you actually pay in taxes?!?!
(or...Why things cost as much as they
do!)
Do you actually,
really, truly, positively know how much you pay in
taxes every year? What if that amount was much
greater than you presently believe? Read on to find
out a simple way to calculate a more realistic
estimate of your annual federal tax burden.
First we must
address a common misconception held by the vast
majority of individuals in this country. The
misconception that a large portion of taxes are paid
by businesses or corporations. Nothing could be
further from the truth! Businesses only collect taxes
from us, the consumers, by way of higher prices.
Study after study has shown that federal taxes today
increase the cost of all products and services by
between 20-35 percent - the so-called "hidden tax".
State and local government taxes further raise that
share to between 38-48 percent. Keep in mind, these
taxes are paid by all consumers and are in addition
to the almost 40 percent tax rate most families pay
in income and payroll taxes already.
Now, get some paper
and something to write with and do this simple
exercise:
Example: Joe
C. made $50,000 last year (1), paid $5,000 in taxes
(2) and saved $5,000 in his 401k (3). Twenty-five
percent of the remaining $40,000 that was spent is
$10,000 (4). Added to the visible tax paid, Joe now
sees his federal tax paid is $15,000, not $5,000 as
he previously believed (5).
But remember, this
does not even take into consideration state and local
taxes, fees, property taxes, etc. Figure in those
taxes and it’s enough to make anyone ill!
Being sick will not
accomplish anything, though. It’s time to get
MAD! When we become outraged enough over this gross
injustice we will insist something be done about it.
Only when people learn the true cost of a bloated and
inefficient government and how they have been duped
into paying invisible taxes on every purchase, will
they become angry enough to demand a change. Consider
it our duty - yours and mine - to educate the public,
and those who represent us in government, about how
much we really pay in taxes!!
Now, what does all
of this have to do with the proposed national retail
sales tax (NRST)? Plenty! Under a NRST businesses are
not taxed. This eliminates the necessity of passing
those costs along to the consumer. But, will prices
go down? In answer to that we ask, "Are businesses
competitive?" Think about it. At the very least with
a national retail sales tax you will be able to see
how much are truly paying in taxes with every
purchase made.
Don’t you
think it’s time to change to a tax system that
reflects the true cost of government? One that is
simple, fair and most of all...visible to all. So do
we!
