One of the bonuses for getting out of the world of the Income Tax is that, with consumption taxes, you don’t fill out any forms at the end of the year. My 2010 Tax filing for the State Of Missouri included the forms:
- MO-1040
- MO-A
- Add’l Dependents
- From 1040 (Federal)
- Schedule A (Federal)
My Federal Income Tax filing include the forms:
- Form 1040
- Schedule A
- Schedule D
- Schedule E,p2
- Form 5695
- Schedule M
- Capital Loss Carryforward Worksheet
- Tax Payments Worksheet
- Charitable Contributions Worksheet
- Student Loan Worksheet
- Carryover Worksheet
Of course, there’s no way the average American knows all the forms to be completed and either uses a program to complete their taxes or seeks the services of a professional. Costs, including fees for electronic filing and direct deposits, exceed $150 per year.
Get rid of income taxes; get rid of all those forms!
Enter United For Missouri, Let The Voters Decide, and Art Laffer (who must have been a zygote when he was cheif economist for President Reagan). These groups are working in Missouri to end the Income Tax in favor of a State Consumption (Sales) Tax. There is extensive information available on their web sites about the benefits of the switch to a Consumption Tax.
But, the usual big government / big money / deep pocket forces are lining up against what’s best for Missouri and America. A report from John McMillen about the opponents to the plan crossed my e-mail today:
Wednesday night 11/2/11. Just got back from St. Louis…”Let Voters Decide” held a conference at the DoubleTree Hotel conference room in Chesterfield, on the 2012 initiative to replace Missouri’s income tax with an increased sales tax.
Art Laffer, Reagan’s chief economic adviser, dubbed the father of supply side economics, was guest speaker. Doctor Laffer had reviewed the analysis of the “Let Voters Decide” proposal and was highly complementary of the proposal and very excited about what it will do to bring business incentives and a job growth environment back to the state of Missouri.
Missouri currently ranks 48th (that’s 2nd from last) for economic growth among all states in our nation. We can not continue allowing this current corrupt income tax system to be used by politicians as mechanism to pick winners and losers, rewarding their political backers and donors through tax credits, and special tax loop holes for their lobbying friends while conversely punishing the rest of us taxing (forcing from us) what we EARN all in order to advance their political agenda.
Dr. Laffer was very optimistic that the “Tax Relief for Missourians” initiative making it to the 2012 ballot and being voted in by the people.
However, this is going to be a hard fight. There is heavy opposition mounting to keep the people’s earnings subject to the will of state politicians, instead of the rightful owners of those earnings… the people who earn it.
Claire McCaskill’s 2008 campaign manager has joined forces with the opposition group “the Missouri Budget Project” and is putting together a coalition of opposition forces mimicking our “United for Missouri’s Future” by adopting the name “Coalition for Missouri’s Future”…. one thing is for certain, Missouri’s future and the future of Missourians is definitely at stake.
This new coalition is made up of Chambers of Commerce in some areas, AARP, Missouri School Board Association, the Teachers Union, Missouri Broadcasters Association, Missouri Realtors Association.
Thousands of Missouri citizens, members of these organizations will be sadly misinformed and scared into refusing to listen to both sides to make a rational logical decision.
In addition to this, there will be boat loads of special interest money from the usual left wing sources flooding our state to defeat this measure.
Dr. Laffer is correct. The entire political landscape of the nation will be focused on this battle. We have the opportunity for Missouri to be the first state in the union to abolish the income tax that taxes what YOU earn, and replace it with a tax on what YOU choose to SPEND. YOU pay your tax when YOU VOLUNTARILY choose to SPEND; NOT through COERCION FROM AN ALL POWERFUL STATE.
Jim Moody is the chief lobbyist and spokesperson for the Missouri Budget project. Mr. Moody is a former republican Missouri House member and budget committee chairman under Ashcroft. This of course always heavily emphasized in media releases and is touted to imply serious credibility.
However, one of the chief proponent spokesmen for this initiative is Carl Bearden, also a former republican House member and former speaker pro tem and also a former chairman of the House Budget Committee who was term limited out in 2007. But this highly credible item is never mentioned in any press reports on this controversial and extremely critical issue.
Mr. Bearden has formed a coalition of United for Missouri’s Future, Missouri Club for Growth, and Let Voters Decide.
Here’s an AP press release telling only one side of this issue which is typically the case. The central message is their usual false assertions that getting rid of the income tax and replacing it with an increase in state sales tax on a broadened tax base is: “regressive” “hurts the poor and the elderly” “unfair” “bad idea” “decreases revenues” etc, etc. this is their usual tired worn out rhetorical talking points which are all blatantly false because they ignore offsetting positive features in the proposal that neutralize or eliminate these negative assertions and assumptions.
The only way we can win our freedom from the evil debilitating effects of the income tax is for all grass roots conservative organizations to join ranks with “Let Voters Decide” stand up and fight back against this well funded, well connected, media favored, deceptive opposition coalition that gets diverted funds from various unions, liberal progressive donors, and front groups created with George Soros funding.
It will take a cooperative active network of like minded conservatives to educate and spread the facts to our friends, family, and neighbors.
I appreciate the opportunity to share as Paul Harvey would say, “The rest of the Story” with facts and data that exposes the truth so YOU CAN DECIDE intelligently for yourself.
Check out these sources to do some research on your own, if you haven’t already.
Democrats and certain establishment Republicans crave big government power and graft. They will forever fight against true simplification of the tax structure, and it’s up to Conservatives and Libertarians to join the battle to complete this mission.
The Rockin' Conservative! 
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