FairTax.org has taken huge steps this year to advance the FairTax campaign both by strengthening the national organization and in direct media and mobilization efforts throughout the country.
The FairTax Central team:
The depth of the FairTax.org team was greatly enhanced this year with the addition of several key staff members. Here are some of the new additions to FairTax.org:
David Polyansky, back from Marine service in Iraq, has joined FairTax.org as the new Chief Operating Officer. Polyansky, a lawyer, has campaign and other political experience as well as strong analytical and management skills.
Mike Rose, with scores of recent congressional and other races to his credit, has joined the team as Director of Grassroots. Mike brings real-world campaign experience and enthusiasm to this pivotally important job.
Diana Lowe brought broad skills and a tireless attitude to the campaign as Director of Special Projects. Diana helped design and manage the new Web site, helped make the Atlanta and Orlando rallies come off without a hitch, oversees our promotional items, and pitches in wherever most needed.
Paul Yeager produced our popular new 19-minute video, “The FairTax: It’s Time!” He then joined the team as the official webmaster, leading the redesign project and managing the very compelling and attractive new Web site.
Vickie Brunet joined the FairTax team as Events Coordinator, assisting advocates across the country with every detail involved in representing the FairTax at fairs, conventions, festivals, etc. Vickie often catches what otherwise would "fall through the cracks" and as such, is one of our most valued staff members.
Ken Hoagland, with state and national media and grassroots campaign experience, has joined FairTax.org as Communications Director. Ken’s unflinching belief in the empowerment of every American voter can be felt throughout the organization.
Jason McKinley and John Nothdurft have come on board bringing both skill and determination to the job of bringing the FairTax local and national media attention through news stories, and radio and television talk shows.
Grassroots Calls to Action:
FairTax supporters called, faxed, and e-mailed the White House by the thousands, tying up the Capitol switchboard for days. President Bush later met with congressional sponsor John Linder for more than an hour. The Secretary of the Treasury later met with him to discuss the merits of the FairTax. In this outpouring of FairTax support, the Executive Branch of our government heard from “We the People....”
FairTax supporters also e-mailed Dennis Hastert, the Speaker of the House, asking him to “speak for us” in advocating the FairTax to Members of the House of Representatives. Although the Speaker’s office called to complain about the volume of e-mail tying up the Speaker’s computers, FairTax supporters were successful in making their voices heard at the highest level of the Legislative Branch of government.
FairTax advocates were asked to get involved in the political campaigns of candidates of all parties by attending events, challenging distortions, and urging candidates to consider support of the FairTax. Local organizers took this Call to Action seriously and organized protests in Virginia, Georgia, Florida, and elsewhere to challenge campaigns distorting the issue for political gain.
National columnist Scott Burns asked the public to vote on the FairTax and, at last count, nearly 20,000 readers said, “Yes, FairTax.” The results of Burns’s informal poll will soon be published.
The House Ways and Means Committee heard from thousands of FairTax supporters with comments for the published Congressional Record on the merits of the FairTax and the problems with the income tax system. Expect to see these comments published in the next eight weeks.
The President’s Advisory Panel on Tax Reform:
FairTax.org founder Leo Linbeck and other FairTax.org officials were quoted in national stories critical of the panel’s recommendations. Thousands of FairTax supporters wrote to the panel in a good faith effort to support the FairTax only to see the group ignore millions of dollars of research and “score” a flawed national sales tax of their own creation. The panel, led by former senators now working in firms lobbying the income tax code, was widely seen as having “swung and missed” on its charge: Fundamental tax reform.
Media:
FairTax.org funded and placed $500,000 of radio ads in selected states across the nation. The ads used both humor and substantive arguments to argue for enactment of the FairTax. FairTax.org Web site visits quadrupled during this time.
FairTax.org funded and placed 21 full page newspaper ads where the FairTax was being distorted by political campaigns. “Stop lying about the FairTax” promised that the FairTax could unite the polarized country offering a campaign for a simple, fair, and transparent tax system and against the self-dealing of Washington.
New FairTax National Media Coordinator, C. Jason McKinley, has produced amazing results since joining in mid-April, 2006. He has booked FairTax experts on close to 400 radio and television shows. FairTax spokespersons have appeared on national, regional, and local talk shows throughout the nation. Callers were almost universally supportive of the FairTax and Web site visits increased dramatically.
FairTax.org began placing letters to the editor and guest editorials on current issues affected positively by the FairTax in newspapers across the nation. Hundreds of letters, guest editorials, and news accounts have appeared in the last eight months.
FairTax spokespersons have appeared on dozens of television interviews in local markets around the country including many interviews during a one week media tour by Tom Wright, national spokesman, in Nebraska where the FairTax was badly distorted in a senatorial campaign.
Organizing American farmers for the FairTax:
Under the direction of FairTax National Liaison John Collet, a total of 89 county presentations on the merits of the FairTax for American agriculture have been made to local leaders of the Farm Bureau in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, and approximately 50 presentations in other states. It appears that approximately 60 percent to 75 percent of county presentations result in development of a grassroots core.
Web site:
The brand new and much improved FairTax.org Web site remade the FairTax “front door” into an informative and entertaining weekly newspaper of events, research, grassroots information, and streaming audio and video. The Web site continues to improve under the direction of Paul Yeager, our new webmaster, and Diana Lowe, our new valuable “utility infielder” at FairTax Central.
Testimony submitted by FairTax.org:
Committee on Ways & Means, Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures, September 26, 2006
Representative Steve King, Iowa, testified on the destructiveness of the current tax system and why it should be replaced with the FairTax. Representative Michael K. Conaway, Texas, testified that the FairTax meets all of the criteria for tax reform.
Committee on Ways and Means On the Impact of International Tax Reform on U.S. Competitiveness, June 22, 2006
Leo Linbeck, Jr. explains how the FairTax will restore the competitiveness of U.S. producers in the global economy.
House Committee on Small Business, February 1, 2006
David Burton, speaking on behalf of FairTax.org, evaluates the various tax reform plans and how they affect small business. Todd McCracken, President of the National Small Business Association, discusses the impact of the tax plan alternatives recommended by the President's tax panel on small business and why the tax plan preferred by small business is the FairTax Plan.
President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform, April 29, 2005
This statement by FairTax.org explains how the FairTax meets the President’s principles of tax reform simplicity, fairness, and pro-growth. It is the one system that benefits all the American people, the American economy, and fully achieves these objectives.
Committee on Ways and Means On Tax Reform, June 8, 2005
Leo Linbeck, Jr. lays out the criteria by which tax reform plans should be judged and how the FairTax measures up.
Research:
The FairTax team of economic experts and others outside the organization completed thorough research on the following topics this year:
A Macroeconomic Analysis of the FairTax Proposal
This study employs a dynamic supply-side economic model to estimate the impact of the FairTax on major economic indicators: GDP, disposable income, consumption, and investment under the FairTax all exceed what they would be if the current system were to remain in place.
Taxing Sales under the FairTax: What Rate Works?
The results are in. Beacon Hill Institute and Dr. Laurence Kotlikoff team up to provide a detailed estimate of the FairTax base and derivation of the proper rate calculation formula. The bottom line is that the 23 percent rate works it replaces the revenue generated by the repealed taxes, maintains the real value of federal spending, and imposes no additional fiscal burden on state and local governments (published in Tax Notes, Nov. 13, 2006).
Comparing Average and Marginal Tax Rates under the FairTax and the Current System of Federal Taxation
Using a state of the art model, Laurence Kotlikoff shows that the FairTax would lower average and marginal tax rates on labor and savings compared to the current federal tax system. The paper also computes average remaining lifetime tax rates for both the FairTax and if the current system were to remain in place. It shows that regardless of age, marital status, or income, all taxpayers are better off in FairTax future (to be published by the Baker Institute of Public Policy, Rice University).
Promoting home ownership: How the FairTax's benefits for homeowners exceed the mortgage interest deduction
Under the FairTax, home purchases are more tax advantaged than they are today. For working Americans, the “true cost” of buying a home goes down.
The FairTax lowers the true cost of a new U.S. produced automobile
Supporters of double and triple taxation on savings, investment, and exports (our current income tax) assert that the cost of an automobile will go up by the amount of the FairTax rate. They are not only wrong, they're dead wrong.
The FairTax prebate explained
The FairTax prebate “untaxes” the poor and ensures that no one has to pay tax on the basic essentials of living, making the FairTax progressive.
Response to the Mack/Breaux tax panel report and recommendations
The panel failed the American people in the two most fundamental tasks: 1) They failed to define the true criteria by which reform should be evaluated; and 2) They failed to grade tax reform plans against those criteria.
Events:
With Neal Boortz, Herman Cain, John Linder, and others, FairTax.org helped fund, organize, and host a sell-out rally in Atlanta, Georgia. and another big attendance outdoor rally in Orlando, Florida this year. The crowd was on its feet demanding change, comparing notes with other FairTax supporters from around the nation, and getting local attention from both the media and political campaigns in these “mega-rallies.”
The momentum behind the FairTax has seen significant growth and support throughout 2006. Here at FairTax Central, we are excited about the possibilities for an active, successful 2007! Join America’s fastest growing grassroots movement and share in the excitement!
