FairTax Questions for the Republican Leadership
November 14, 2006 · Filed under: Political Support, Public Support
Want candidates for leadership positions within the Republican party to go on the record about their positions on the FairTax?
The Truth Laid Bear web site has organized a formal interview process to help gather information about Republican leadership candidates.
If you go there and vote for the FairTax question, you can increase the chances that these candidates will go on the record with their position on the FairTax.
2 Responses to “FairTax Questions for the Republican Leadership”
Rep. Pence is a FT cosponsor; neither Boehner or Blunt are (Rep. Shadegg was a cosponsor in the last Congress).
Our job would be a tad easier with Pence as Minority Leader and Shadegg as Minority Whip. Please call and ask your Republican Congressman to vote for Pence/Shadegg. Let them know you’re watching and you care.
As much as I am personally pained by this, it appears that the FairTax is supported by four Republican presidential candidates (Thompson, Huckabee, Tancredo and Hunter) and one Democratic candidate (Gravel).
Below are some answers from the Repulican candidates in an Iowa forum.
FAIR TAX? As president, will you sign the “FairTax” (currently, HR 25/S 1025) into law if passed by Congress?
Thompson: I will sign it as soon as it reaches my desk. I believe very much in that fair tax. I think the fair tax is the right thing. I absolutely believe the way the Congress is set up right now, we can’t get it passed.
Huckabee: I would like April 15 to be another beautiful spring day in America. I would rally this country to approve the fair tax. I want a tax that doesn’t penalize people for getting married and having kids. The fair tax gives us a chance to revive our economy.
Brownback: I cannot respond to the specific bill. If it is pro-growth and family friendly, I would sign it. I think we are going to have more difficulty getting to a fair tax system. (He proposed a flat tax, which he says is easier to achieve.)
Romney: I like taxation that is simpler and family friendly. We need to keep our rates down. I believe savings for middle-income people should be tax free. I want to look at the fair tax, but I will fight for the things I describe.
Tancredo: Of course I will. If I am a co-sponsor, it is pretty sure I will sign it into law.
Hunter: I can’t tell you how important this is to keep our industry in the United States. We have to take manufacturing taxes to zero.
Romney seems to keeping his finger in the air for whichever way the wind blows.
If I see any good coming from this, maybe the publicity will bring more mainstream economists into studying and opining on what has previously been a “fringe” issue. In my opinion, when more light is shed on this thing, more of the warts will become known. And, who knows, maybe the issue of fundamental tax reform — including a frank assessment of various reform proposals — will actually become a real issue.
We can only hope.