The GOP "Fair Tax" Plan is a Disaster for the Working Class

We now know that among other concessions Kevin McCarthy made in exchange for the Speaker’s gavel, he’s agreed to hold a vote on a bill that would abolish the IRS and abolish the entire federal tax code, from income taxes to the payroll taxes that fund Social Security and Medicare, to estate and gift taxes only paid by the very wealthy. How will the federal government afford anything―from natural disaster responses to healthcare to nutrition assistance―with none of these taxes? The answer is, a new national sales tax of at least 30%, which would require everyone, no matter how poor or rich, to pay the same tax rate. However, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), it would require a national sales tax of at least 60% to make up for the lost revenue. Furthermore, this GOP-tax on everything we buy—groceries, cars, homes, healthcare―would disproportionately impact middle-class and low-income people and families. Another ITEP study shows that the top 1% pays just a 0.9% average share of their income in state sales taxes compared to a 7.1% share for the lowest-income households. So, this new Republican bill would shift who pays taxes by A LOT. It’s an absolutely terrible idea and I oppose it wholeheartedly. Congress should focus on keeping the IRS funded so it can pursue rich tax cheats and make them pay what they owe. Period. Thanks.