Personally, I can't believe that all single adults (or any true conservative, actually) are not kicking and screaming for the implementation of the Fair Tax. As if the annual process of filing my taxes hasn't been convincing, along comes Congress with their economic stimulus package to "save the economy".
In case you haven't noticed, the package calls for a $600 rebate per individual, $1200 per couple, plus $300 per child. That is completely outrageous!!!!! Why are we returning money to people just because they are married or have more kids? Talk about a crock – the rebates should be a flat percent based on what you pay into taxes. Basically, it doesn't matter how much money you put into the economy, it matters how many people live in your house. I am really hoping that there is some great mitigating factor that I am missing. Surely these rebates cannot be as unfair as they seem. How many kids you have is a personal decision and not a government decision (at least not yet). Therefore, the quantity of children you have should not give you a tax advantage just as you should not be penalized for having or not having children.
Let's take it a step further. Two men both have children. They would each receive a $2700 rebate. Let's say one man earns $150, 000 per year and the other man $60,000 per year. Obviously the man earning $150, 000 pays more taxes. Why should he get the same rebate as the other man? Liberals will say the man making more money doesn't need the rebate as much. That is false. Rebates are not government handouts.
If this isn't evidence that we need the Fair tax, I am not sure what is. If the Fair Tax isn't evidence that Mike Huckabee is the true Conservative left in the GOP race, I am not sure what is.
Heather and I just spent probably 6 hours mostly together working on our federal return this year. Granted, our situation is more complicated than some, but Form 2210, particularly Schedule AI has got to be one of the most complicated tax forms I have ever seen. And, we have a computer with detailed records; I’d expect that form to not be completable by lots of people.
I totally agree with you. tax payers should get back a % of what they put in last year. I’m so annoyed by this stimulus package. We make just barely over 150K so we will not be getting a rebate. I know some may think that 150K is a lot of money, but if you live in NYC it is not a lot at all! We’re not living like millionaires by any means, we have a 950 square foot co-op (Mortgage and maintenance is nearly 3K/month) and I drive a 2001 VW Passat which is our only car.
The way this package is set up is completely unfair. Someone making 145K in the Mid-West has a much higher standard of living than someone making the same in California, NY or Chicago. So why should they get a rebate?