Hannity does an infomercial.

[jayctravis]

Essentially his show today was an infomercial for a book by (Neil?) Boortz (sp?) proclaiming how wonderful it would be to eliminate all taxes in favor of a flat 23% tax on purchases.

While I'm no economist and I don't know the ins and outs and bads and goods of this type of radical overhaul, the show actually took on an infomercial feel. You know where they pretend to be a talk show where the "host" gushes amazed questions that the "guest" has all the answers to? In fact, the guest commented that the book had "jumped to #3 on Amazon.com" while they were running the show.

Not that I think Hannity has any sort of integrity, it was just really amusing to listen to him so obviously peddle a book.

[merwin]

1. I'd be all for a flat 23% tax on purchases

provided that huge corporations must pay that 23% as well.

If a truly flat 23% tax with 0 exceptions was implemented, we'd pull in enough tax revenue from the uber-rich that we'd be able to provide appropriate welfare to people who need it.

[bryant69]

4. I don't know

Such a tax would continue to hit the poorest among us harder than the wealthy - it would be regressive.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[merwin]

7. Well, if we were pulling in that kind of revenue, we'd be able to offer

a very good social security/welfare program... provided there were provisions making it a prosecutable offense for the president to funnel money out of it.

[Inland]

2. "A flat tax can't POSSIBLY clean THAT stain!" nt

[Crankie Avalon]

3. Well, it would probably make all of us "little people" think twice...

...before buying anything.

Maybe it would make us less of a consumerist society in some way. But I think this type of flat tax on consumption (which we all have to do some of) rather than a graduated tax on wealth would hurt poorer people a lot more than the Boortz's and Hannity's of the world are letting on.

[bballny]

5. If rich people

are pushing a flat tax it is not for anyone else's benefit but their own.

[bleedingheart]

8. Ding Ding Ding!!! We have a winner!!

You are very perceptive.

[Telly Savalas]

6. Oh lord.

This thread will just give another opportunity for the DU Flat Tax Fetish Bridage to sneak out of the woodwork.

[Catholic Sensation]

9. this isn't a flat tax

sales taxes aren't flat because they tax a greater portion of income of the poor who spend a larger amount of their income. This is like seventh grade economics, then again, Hannity has the mind of a fourth grader, with Boortz being more intelligent by one grade level.