[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 18, 2023)] [House] [Pages H1790-H1795] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-18
Chamber: HOUSE
Mr. GOOD : I thank the gentleman from Georgia for his leadership on this critically important issue. You might say what the House of Representatives does is tax and spend. Thankfully, we are the party that wants to tax less and spend less, so it is a win-win for the American people, a win-win for freedom, a win-win for Americans as a whole. It is appropriate on this day of all days, national tax day, to be discussing the state of our tax system. It is no secret to most Americans that the IRS does not serve their interests and, worse yet, frequently uses its power to target law-abiding American citizens and conservative groups. The American people are sick and tired of dealing with a broken, confusing, and even hostile tax system. My office regularly hears from constituents who simply want to get an answer from the IRS when they are trying to do their taxes or want to know why they are forced to pay taxes for things such as an inheritance from their loved ones. Rather than take a hard look at the current situation, the Biden administration has made it clear they want to further weaponize the IRS against hardworking Americans by spending $80 billion to hire an estimated 87,000 new agents to harass, intimidate, and threaten taxpayers.  In fact, in Virginia's Fifth District, one of the things I commonly hear is what we need more of is IRS agents. Of course, I have never heard that in Virginia's Fifth District. The American people deserve a better tax system that does not needlessly target them or even punish them for doing their best to work hard, put food on the table, and comply with an ever-more-complicated tax code. The addition of these 87,000 IRS agents should raise alarm bells for all Americans since the IRS and its employees regularly do not follow the limits of their lawful directive. We can point to example after example. As a matter of fact, just last month, an IRS employee was found guilty of three counts of wire fraud, two counts of aggravated identity theft, five counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of a false and fraudulent return, and three counts of making and subscribing a false and fraudulent tax return. Clearly, the American people do not need a more powerful and emboldened IRS. The current system must change, and that is where this bill from the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter) comes into play. The FairTax Act tax system is easy to understand, and it will save billions in compliance for taxpayers and the Federal Government. It holds all Americans to the same standard, a 23 percent sales tax. In doing so, Americans will not be onerously taxed on what they earn. Instead, they pay a fair tax on what they consume. It puts Americans in control of the taxes that they pay. It removes the discrimination that is in the tax system because everybody pays taxes based on what they consume. Organized crime pays taxes. Crime cartels pay taxes. The Mafia pays taxes. Tax cheats are paying. Under-the-table earners are paying. You get the idea. Today, the average American worker is forced to pay the Federal Government 33 cents of every dollar they earn as opposed to what we are proposing today, which is the fair tax of 23 cents for every dollar they spend if they choose to spend it. Thanks to the prebate plan in this bill, taxpayers will be able to spend up to the poverty guideline and have that amount be exempt from the impact of the 23 percent tax. Implementing this national sales tax will double the number of taxpayers in the system. Instead of having just about 150 million taxpayers who are currently having to pay income taxes, this would bring about 300 million Americans as consumers into the tax revenue. Everybody would be participating based on what they consume. Wealthy people would pay more because they spend more and make more expensive purchases, not to mention 51 million annual foreign tourists and some 12 million illegal immigrants in our country, illegal aliens who reside here. The FairTax Act is a commonsense reform that will unburden the American people and stimulate economic growth. Individuals will have more control over their finances and not be threatened with penalties or double taxation for investing and saving their own money. Rather than guess how much you owe each year or how much the government owes you, which a lot of us just had to do here, the FairTax Act will enable taxpayers to know exactly how much they are paying. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend Buddy Carter for his leadership on this that will put the American taxpayer first, unleash economic growth, and hold everyone accountable to one simple tax requirement.