Back when people were discussing changing the Federal tax system--would have been in the 80's maybe?--it was pointed out that the VAT, in which every stage of manufacturing, distribution, and sales is taxed based on the "value added", is a hidden tax. It's very easy and efficient to collect the tax; once in place, the rate can be ratcheted up easily.
That makes it different from a national sales tax, in which the tax is collected only at the end of the chain when purchased by the end user.

Older folks here remember the 1986 Tax Reform Act, which decreased the number of brackets; lowered the top bracket 28%; and did away with many tax loopholes such as those related to passive investments. Doctors, for example, would "invest" in something like barges on the Mississippi, which would lose money--and the tax loss was the purpose, to shield their regular income. It made sense. Unfortunately it had major disruptive effects. A friend of mine was in commercial real estate, and he suddenly went bankrupt, as did, he says, every other commercial real estate office manager.

Bill Maher has announced that he will be meeting with Trump at the White House, the meet instigated by Kid Rock.

https://www.foxnews.com/media/...et-trump-white-house

quote:

Older folks here remember the 1986 Tax Reform Act, which decreased the number of brackets; lowered the top bracket 28%; and did away with many tax loopholes such as those related to passive investments. Doctors, for example, would "invest" in something like barges on the Mississippi, which would lose money--and the tax loss was the purpose, to shield their regular income. It made sense. Unfortunately it had major disruptive effects. A friend of mine was in commercial real estate, and he suddenly went bankrupt, as did, he says, every other commercial real estate office manager.

The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 was new when I was studying tax law in 1988-1990. It was an eloquently drafted code. It's since been corrupted with all sorts of things.

quote:

Originally posted by Cassandra:
The best Western version of this is the VAT (Value Added TaX), Usually on everything, and often runs around 25%. I have lost track of the rate in the UK. What do our readers think of VAT in your country?

Fuck....that

VAT is the reason why Germans drive tiny clown cars and the British live in tiny houses, NO THANKS

quote:

Fuck....that

Yeah. Stop bleeding me Audry.
Any which way you can.

An enormous amount of Americans have been brainwashed into believing that some sort of income tax is not only acceptable and necessary, but also their duty to pay it. It’s theft, plain and simple.
I don’t have high hopes that the income tax will be eliminated, but maybe this discussion will shake some people awake, and get them out of this paradigm of servitude to government.

Up until 1913, the Tariff was the major form of revenue for the FedGov.

The Tariff has served three primary purposes: to raise revenue for the government; to restrict imports and protect domestic producers from foreign competition; and to reach reciprocity agreements that reduce trade barriers.

Once the Income Tax Amendment (#16) passed, along with the Federal Reserve Act of 1912, the revenue stream for the FedGov dramatically increased, along with the size of the government, to include “services provided”.

A modest (no more than 2%) National Sales Tax on every purchase, at whatever level of manufacturing or consumption, I would think should allow for proper funding of government requirements.

The States already receive the majority of their funding with “sales tax”. Depending upon if a particular State has an income tax, Sales Taxes vary in level.

At my last property tax , fully 1/2 of the amount collected was for schools. As I don’t have any kids in school, I get taxed for a service for which I don’t receive. As for property taxes, only individuals with children in schools, should pay a school tax. Other portions of the property tax would go for needed local government services (road maintenance, fire/police services, etc.).

Property tax basically means you don't own your home. You're renting it back from the government after you've paid for it.

The lunatic democRATS are becoming crazier and more unhinged with each passing day, as we have see in many videos posted here and elsewhere, and TigerDore’s comment on the previous page is spot on.

Check out the video in this TGP article -

“Masked Maniac Terrorizes Liberal Woman for Driving Tesla in Seattle Suburb, Demands She Sell ‘Nazi’ Car in Unhinged Attack”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.c...iving-tesla-seattle/

The end-result of an aggressive confrontation such as this in a RTKBA friendly state could have resulted in something much different.

This video has given me pause to think about “What would I do?” in a similar situation (which would be to evade first if possible, by driving around the threat or backing up).

While we’re blue-skying, I don’t think businesses should be subject to income tax. Such taxes are actually a hidden tax on consumers. OTOH, higher income individuals pay a proportionately smaller share, so it evens out the tax burden.

Judge Boasberg had a deadline today at 10AM for the Trump administration to present info on the plane load of illegal terrorist criminals, but Deputy A.G. Todd Blanche basically tells him to pound sand.

quote:

Originally posted by lkdr1989:

Here's the full video:

https://x.com/robbystarbuck/st.../1903131909510644100

Come at me like that and fully expect to get knocked right on your ass.

I was raised to never hit a woman. That was back when we lived in a civilized society. Them days are gone, and that broad would be missing a few teeth.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:

Come at me like that and fully expect to get knocked right on your ass.

I was raised to never hit a woman. That was back when we lived in a civilized society. Them days are gone, and that broad would be missing a few teeth.

That's the first thing that came to mind when I saw that, spitting Chicklets or a nose spread all over her face.

quote:

Originally posted by XinTX:
Property tax basically means you don't own your home. You're renting it back from the government after you've paid for it.

Perhaps, the single most corrupt tax in America!

Trump Revokes Security Clearance of Hillary Clinton, Kamala Harris, and the Radical Leftist Cabal

By Jim Hoft | Mar. 21, 2025 11:35 pm


President Donald Trump dropped a political bombshell on Friday, signing an executive order that yanks security clearances from some of the most notorious figures of the radical left.

The list reads like a who’s who of Trump-hating elitists and Deep State operatives like Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris.

Trump once more listed Antony Blinken, Jacob Sullivan, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, and even Joe Biden, along with his entire corrupt family.

Trump’s order declares that these individuals no longer have any business sniffing around classified information.

“I have determined that it is no longer in the national interest for the following individuals to access classified information,” the president stated, before laying out a laundry list of names that conservatives have long identified as threats to national security and common-sense governance.

Below is the complete list of those stripped of security access:

- Antony Blinken, former Secretary of State
- Jake Sullivan, former National Security Adviser
- Lisa Monaco, former Deputy Attorney General
- Mark Zaid, lawyer
- Norman Eisen, lawyer and senior fellow at Brookings
- Letitia James, New York Attorney General
- Alvin Bragg, Manhattan District Attorney
- Andrew Weissmann, lawyer
- Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State
- Elizabeth Cheney, former Wyoming Representative
- Kamala Harris, former Vice President
- Adam Kinzinger, former Illinois Representative
- Fiona Hill, former White House Russia expert
- Alexander Vindman, retired Lt. Col.
- Joseph R. Biden Jr., former President
- Any other member of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s family

“Therefore, I hereby direct every executive department and agency head to take all additional action as necessary and consistent with existing law to revoke any active security clearances held by the aforementioned individuals and to immediately rescind their access to classified information,” Trump wrote.

“I also direct all executive department and agency heads to revoke unescorted access to secure United States Government facilities from these individuals.

“This action includes, but is not limited to, receipt of classified briefings, such as the President’s Daily Brief, and access to classified information held by any member of the Intelligence Community by virtue of the named individuals’ previous tenure in the Congress.

“In the event that any of the named individuals received a security clearance by virtue of their employment with a private entity, the United States Government entity that granted the security clearance should inform the private entity that these individuals’ ability to access classified information has been revoked,” the order reads.

Earlier this month, Tulsi Gabbard confirmed that she had revoked all of their security clearances on Trump’s orders.

“Per @POTUS directive, I have revoked security clearances and barred access to classified information for Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Lisa Monaco, Mark Zaid, Norman Eisen, Letitia James, Alvin Bragg, and Andrew Weissman, along with the 51 signers of the Hunter Biden “disinformation” letter. The President’s Daily Brief is no longer being provided to former President Biden,” Tulsi Gabbard announced on X on Monday afternoon.

---

Add them all to the Terrorist Watch List. They all certainly qualify.

https://www.newsmax.com/newsma...dkt_nbr=010102emceez

Rep. Jordan to Newsmax: Hearings Possibly Next Week on Anti-Trump Judges

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, told Newsmax on Friday that he expects lawmakers to hold hearings as soon as next week regarding the spate of rulings by mostly Democrat-appointed federal judges that have hindered President Donald Trump’s policies.

The flurry of legal rulings in the past month from district court judges against Trump administration initiatives ranged from halting the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to streamline the federal government, to eliminating federal diversity, equity,and inclusion programs, to deporting violent criminal illegal immigrants.

The latest legal fight involves U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, a Barack Obama appointee, who has temporarily halted the deportation flights of violent criminal illegal immigrants who the administration said are members of the ruthless Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Boasberg demanded the administration Saturday to order flights to return to the U.S., but the administration did not comply.

Jordan was asked during his appearance on “Finnerty” whether there is an appetite for impeaching such judges.

“I think the mood is to get the facts, have hearings, get information from experts about all this,” Jordan said. “You know, you’ve got these federal district judges issuing these injunctions that apply to the entire country. In fact, we passed out of our committee two weeks ago legislation which said if a judge does that, it should only apply to the parties in the case and in that respective jurisdiction, it shouldn't apply nationwide. We think that's a limitation on these judges and what they're doing.

“When it comes to Judge Boasberg, we think this is just purely political.”

Trump called for Boasberg’s impeachment earlier this week, but Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts countered in a rare statement that the way to handle disagreements with judicial decisions is through the appellate process and not through impeachment.

“Chief Justice Roberts is right,” Jordans said. “I get that, but when you look at Judge Boasberg, this seems so political, so out to get President Trump, this ruling. And then when you couple this ruling with his history, his work on the FISA court, allowing the warrants when they spied on President Trump's campaign clear back in 2015, 2016. I think when you put that all together, this guy may be in a special class.

“So, we're going to start hearings maybe as early as next week into this whole area. But where we can make changes legislatively, we should do that, and then we should hear from the experts about, Is there other things we should pursue?”

VAT in Germany is 19%. They drive tiny cars because their cars are taxed on engine displacement and their gas generally costs about twice what we pay in the US. Oil and other fluids cost well more than twice what we pay in the US. While I like our sales tax to show as a line item on a receipt, so it's totally transparent, VAT in Germany is built into the price you see on the sticker in stores. So what you see on the price tag is what you pay at the register, not a cent more.

If we had a national VAT in the US, it'd have to be added as a line item after the sticker price. I'd like it, since about half of Americans pay no income tax and should have some skin in the game. But I just don't see it happening here.

Is there any valid reason that any of the people in this list should retain security clearance?

quote:

Below is the complete list of those stripped of security access:

- Antony Blinken, former Secretary of State
- Jake Sullivan, former National Security Adviser
- Lisa Monaco, former Deputy Attorney General
- Mark Zaid, lawyer
- Norman Eisen, lawyer and senior fellow at Brookings
- Letitia James, New York Attorney General
- Alvin Bragg, Manhattan District Attorney
- Andrew Weissmann, lawyer
- Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State
- Elizabeth Cheney, former Wyoming Representative
- Kamala Harris, former Vice President
- Adam Kinzinger, former Illinois Representative
- Fiona Hill, former White House Russia expert
- Alexander Vindman, retired Lt. Col.
- Joseph R. Biden Jr., former President
- Any other member of Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s family