Republican priorities: (1) cut taxes on the rich; (2) raise taxes on the poor

[Badger]

Republicans have ideas for addressing poverty and cutting corporate welfare but somehow they never seem to survive the sausage factory.

These ARE our party's proposals, Shua. Don't blame political compromises with Democrats for this.

[Badger]

Yep, that's the FairTax idea in a nutshell. Pay for your own foodstamps.

Not really:

Hmm. So taxes decrease for literally everyone (well, who's married)?

Actually, the very economists who DESIGNED the Flat/Fair Tax ACKNOWLEDGE it would generally raise taxes on the large majority of taxpayers.

But Deus found this spiffy graph on Wikipedia, so the authors must be wrong.

[Badger]

Yep, that's the FairTax idea in a nutshell. Pay for your own foodstamps.

Not really:

Hmm. So taxes decrease for literally everyone (well, who's married)?

Actually, the very economists who DESIGNED the Flat/Fair Tax ACKNOWLEDGE it would generally raise taxes on the large majority of taxpayers.

1. The Flat Tax and Fair Tax are two completely different things.

2. Are you going to substantiate your claim with a cite or just expect people to take it at face value?

1) The "Fair Tax" is the Flat Tax with a corporate focus group rebranding campaign, and nothing more. They are "completely different" the same way 'the death tax' and 'the estate tax' are.

2) Robert E. Hall and Alvin Rashbushka, "Low Tax, Simple Tax, Flat Tax" (McGraw-Hill, 1983), p. 58. A taste:

"It is anobvious mathematical law that lower taxes on the successful will have to be made up by higher taxes on average people."