Income should not be subject to taxing

Louis Phillipine, Las Vegas

Thursday, April 2, 2009 | 2:03 a.m.

Regarding the Las Vegas Sun’s Wednesday story “$11 extra in pay is your weekly slice of stimulus”:

An extra $11 a week in my paycheck. I’m ecstatic!

I will stimulate the economy by rushing out to purchase a new GM vehicle and maybe even a new flat-screen TV. Of course, $44 a month isn’t going to buy much of an automobile. Maybe four new tires for my old car.

So, it is official. Washington’s politicians are convinced their constituents are stupid.

I just completed my tax return and find that because I didn’t have enough tax “withheld” from my pay, I will have to pay a $19 penalty on top of the amount I still owe. To top it off, we are to visit the IRS Web site to estimate our withholding so we don’t end up owing Uncle Sam next April.

Let me get this straight: I will be getting an extra $11 a week but that may cause me to owe the IRS next April. And we wonder why the economy is in the tank.

The only part of the story that made sense was “economists say dollars given directly to those who need them most have some of the biggest bang for the buck.” AIG gets hundreds of billions and we get $11.

The only sure way to get “dollars” directly to those who need them most is to get rid of the income tax. Let me keep every cent I earn, and then I can truly help boost the economy.

Tax my purchases, not my income. A tax on consumption is the only fair way of funding our government. That, along with reduced government spending, is the only way to resolve our current predicament.

I urge everyone to write his congressman and ask for support of the FairTax, a proposal that would create a national sales tax that completely eliminates all federal taxes, including payroll taxes. It also would provide a monthly rebate to all eligible families to ensure no one pays a tax on necessities.