"Tax Day 2001" Rallies!!
Citizens for an Alternative Tax System, Las Vegas Chapter held their annual "Tax Filing Day", informational rallies on Monday, April 16, 2001. Local CATS members and National Sales Tax supporters participated throughout the day to make these rallies a great success. CATS volunteers handed out over two thousand flyers to the last-minute tax-filers from the Las Vegas area.
Many thanks to everyone who helped out, including Marvin W., Ed C., Richard T., Susan S., Charles S., Kelley & Carolyn, George L., Roy H., and John V.
Repeal 16th: An Idea
Who's
Time Has Come
"Congressman Ron Paul recently introduced a bold constitutional amendment designed to radically reform our tax system. The 16th Amendment, passed in 1913, allowed the federal government to do what the Supreme Court had always ruled unconstitutional: levy a direct income tax on individuals. The 'Liberty Amendment' (HJR 45) repeals the 16th Amendment, paving the way for real change in the way government collects and spends our tax dollars. 'The income tax has given government a claim on our lives,' Paul stated. 'It has enabled government to expand far beyond its proper limits, invade our privacy, and penalize our every endeavor. The Founding Fathers never intended an income tax, and they certainly would be dismayed to know that Americans today give more than a third of their income to the federal government.'"
-- Rep. Ron Paul news release, 5/1/01
(Editors Note: Following is an excerpt about HJR 45 from The Liberty Committee Web Site)
Congressional Legislation
Liberty Amendment - Real Tax Relief
Bill # H.J.RES.45
Original Sponsor:
Ron Paul (R-TX 14th)
About This Legislation:
The United States existed for nearly 140 years without an income tax. During that time, the federal government generally adhered to its limited constitutional functions.
The federal income tax, authorized by the Sixteenth Amendment in 1913, fundamentally changed the role of the federal government in American life. Income tax revenues enabled government to grow wildly beyond its legitimate functions. Today, the massive federal bureaucracy regulates virtually every aspect of national life. The federal income tax has resulted in a tragic loss of liberty for all Americans.
H.J. Res. 45 - The Liberty Amendment is very simple. It would abolish the Sixteenth Amendment, thereby eliminating the federal income tax. It would also abolish the federal capital gains and estate taxes. The federal government would get very little of our money, as only excise or sales taxes could be imposed. With little revenue, the federal government returns to its proper constitutional size. The Liberty Amendment would also prohibit the federal government from engaging in any business activity that competes with private businesses (except as provided by the Constitution) and require the federal government to sell properties that were used in those business activities.
Is eliminating the federal income tax impossible? No. Millions of Americans still believe in liberty. They, therefore, question the validity of the federal tax code, the I.R.S. and the Sixteenth Amendment itself. They understand that the federal leviathan is out of control. The Liberty Amendment can serve as a flashpoint for all of these millions of voices.
A citizen can verbally oppose the federal income tax or he can take action to abolish it. The Liberty Amendment is not an academic exercise. It is not a political statement or an abstract ideal. It is real legislation before the U.S. House of Representatives now. It can become law. It will become law if every liberty-minded American tells his U.S. representative that his re-election will depend on his support of the Liberty Amendment.
Are You Taxed Enough?
"The government taxes you when you bring home a paycheck. It taxes you when you die. It taxes you when you make a phone call. It taxes you when you turn on a light. It taxes you when you sell a stock. It taxes you when you fill your car with gas. It taxes you when you ride a plane. It taxes you when you get married. Then it taxes you when you die. This is taxual insanity and it must end."
-- Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK), 4/16/01
"When you turn on the light in the morning, you pay utility taxes. When you brush your teeth, you pay water taxes. When you drive to work, you pay gas taxes and rising toll taxes. Before you get paid at work, they take out payroll taxes. After you get paid at work, they take out income taxes - state and federal. If you are married, they tax you for that too. And when you buy things, you have to pay sales taxes and the seller's corporate income taxes. You are probably dog tired from paying all of these taxes when you get home at night, but then you have to pay property taxes - which in this state are at their highest level ever. And if these high taxes make you have to sell your home, you will then have to pay capital gains taxes. Worse yet, if you become sick to death of all these taxes, they will make you pay estate taxes."
-- Jersey City mayor and New Jersey GOP gubernatorial candidate Bret Schundler
"Today, the government takes some 40% of the income from the average American worker. Most of us will work until May 3 this year just to pay our tax burden. And incredible as it seems, many Americans don't believe they are over-taxed! In fact, about half of us do not support across the board tax cuts. In city after city across America, local tax referendums will find a majority of citizens actually voting to increase their taxes. Can you believe it?"
"It's hard to imagine that it was only a generation ago when the average married couple with two children paid only 2% of their income in federal, state and local taxes. In 1999 that same family paid some 15% in Social Security taxes, some 30% in federal taxes, plus hundreds of hidden taxes on everything from amusements to zucchini, and everything in between. The National Taxpayer's Union says taxes have gone up 175,000% in the last 83 years! And yet many Americans don't believe they are over-taxed! Amazing!"
-- Chuck Baldwin's "Chuck Wagon," 4/17/01
Quotes
"I favor abolishing the federal individual and corporate income tax, capital gains taxes, gift taxes and inheritance taxes all at the same time. I propose that the states be responsible for collection [of a national retail sales tax] so that the IRS apparatus can be dismantled promptly."
-- U.S. Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN)
"Finally, despite all of the compelling economic reasons that favor replacement of the present income tax with a retail sales tax, there is an additional reason ...FREEDOM!"
-- Congressman Billy Tauzin (R-LA) Co-sponsor of HR 2001
"The most pro-growth way to tax is to replace every form of federal taxation with a national sales tax on final goods. With the tax yoke off productive activity, our economy would take off like a rocket."
-- Walter E. Williams, nationally syndicated columnist
"More and more elected officials realize what millions of taxpayers already know, the current federal tax system is a lumbering dinosaur that crushes economic expansion and taxpayer rights under its weight."
-- David Keating, President, National Taxpayers Union Foundation
"The entire personal income tax...should be replaced with a national sales tax to help the poor."
-- Stephen Moore, Director of Fiscal Policy Studies at the CATO Institute
Funny
A visitor from Holland was chatting with his American friend and was jokingly explaining about the red, white and blue in the Netherlands flag. "Our flag symbolizes our taxes," he said. "We get red when we talk about them, white when we get our tax bill, and blue after we pay them." "That's the same with us," the American said, "only we see stars, too."
Not Funny
What happens when you ask the IRS tax questions? A new study by the Treasury Department found that IRS employees gave incorrect answers in response to questions from taxpayers a whopping 47% of the time. And the ultimate indignity: If you follow their erroneous advice, you're still liable for back taxes, interest, and penalties.
Action America
I came across an incredible web site the other day that I highly recommend. The organization is called "Action America" and you can find it at:
http://www.gurusinc.com/aa/
When you visit "Action America", click on the "Tax and Economy" button and spend the necessary time to read:
Tick-Tick-Tick - The Economy Bomb
The Privacy Factor - Another Reason The Wealthy Are Leaving
Anti-Privacy BLACKLISTS - Fiction or Folly?
More Attacks on the Wealthy - Driving Wealth Offshore
Written by John Gaver, each of the above articles makes a compelling case for a national retail sales tax. Although quite lengthy, these articles are a "MUST READ" for everyone.
Mr. Gaver covers several disadvantages of the income tax that you might not have considered. Then he clearly shows how a national retail sales tax would correct each of these shortcomings.
If you are concerned about the current (and future) condition of the economy, you will understand more after reading the above-mentioned articles.
If you think the national retail sales tax is a good idea now, just wait until you read these. If you are still unsure about the sales tax idea, these articles could possibly be all the reason you need to become an enthusiastic "National Sales Tax" supporter.
