HR 25

HR 25 IH

To promote freedom, fairness, and economic opportunity by repealing the income tax and other taxes, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, and enacting a national sales tax to be administered primarily by the States.

January 6, 2009

Mr. LINDER (for himself, Mr. KINGSTON, Mr. WESTMORELAND, Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. AKIN, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. GINGREY of Georgia, Mr. DEAL of Georgia, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. PENCE, Mr. POE of Texas, Mr. BROWN of South Carolina, Mr. BARTLETT, Mr. STEARNS, Mr. CARTER, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. BRADY of Texas, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. THORNBERRY, Mr. BILBRAY, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. CULBERSON, Ms. FALLIN, Mr. BACHUS, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. LUCAS, and Mr. NEUGEBAUER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means

To promote freedom, fairness, and economic opportunity by repealing the income tax and other taxes, abolishing the Internal Revenue Service, and enacting a national sales tax to be administered primarily by the States.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as the ‘Fair Tax Act of 2009’.

(b) Table of Contents- The table of contents for this Act is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

Sec. 2. Congressional findings.

TITLE I--REPEAL OF THE INCOME TAX, PAYROLL TAXES, AND ESTATE AND GIFT TAXES

Sec. 101. Income taxes repealed.

Sec. 102. Payroll taxes repealed.

Sec. 103. Estate and gift taxes repealed.

Sec. 104. Conforming amendments; effective date.

TITLE II--SALES TAX ENACTED

Sec. 201. Sales tax.

Sec. 202. Conforming and technical amendments.

TITLE III--OTHER MATTERS

Sec. 301. Phase-out of administration of repealed Federal taxes.

Sec. 302. Administration of other Federal taxes.

Sec. 303. Sales tax inclusive Social Security benefits indexation.

TITLE IV--SUNSET OF SALES TAX IF SIXTEENTH AMENDMENT NOT REPEALED

Sec. 401. Elimination of sales tax if Sixteenth Amendment not repealed.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.

(a) Findings Relating to Federal Income Tax- Congress finds the Federal income tax--

(1) retards economic growth and has reduced the standard of living of the American public;

(2) impedes the international competitiveness of United States industry;

(3) reduces savings and investment in the United States by taxing income multiple times;

(4) slows the capital formation necessary for real wages to steadily increase;

(5) lowers productivity;

(6) imposes unacceptable and unnecessary administrative and compliance costs on individual and business taxpayers;

(7) is unfair and inequitable;

(8) unnecessarily intrudes upon the privacy and civil rights of United States citizens;

(9) hides the true cost of government by embedding taxes in the costs of everything Americans buy;

(10) is not being complied with at satisfactory levels and therefore raises the tax burden on law abiding citizens; and

(11) impedes upward social mobility.

(b) Findings Relating to Federal Payroll Taxes- Congress finds further that the Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes and self-employment taxes--

(1) raise the cost of employment;

(2) destroy jobs and cause unemployment; and

(3) have a disproportionately adverse impact on lower income Americans.

(c) Findings Relating to Federal Estate and Gift Taxes- Congress finds further that the Federal estate and gift taxes--

(1) force family businesses and farms to be sold by the family to pay such taxes;

(2) discourage capital formation and entrepreneurship;

(3) foster the continued dominance of large enterprises over small family-owned companies and farms; and

(4) impose unacceptably high tax planning costs on small businesses and farms.

(d) Findings Relating to National Sales Tax- Congress finds further that a broad-based national sales tax on goods and services purchased for final consumption--

(1) is similar in many respects to the sales and use taxes in place in 45 of the 50 States;

(2) will promote savings and investment;

(3) will promote fairness;

(4) will promote economic growth;

(5) will raise the standard of living;

(6) will increase investment;

(7) will enhance productivity and international competitiveness;

(8) will reduce administrative burdens on the American taxpayer;

(9) will improve upward social mobility; and

(10) will respect the privacy interests and civil rights of taxpayers.

(e) Findings Relating to Administration of National Sales Tax- Congress further finds that--

(1) most of the practical experience administering sales taxes is found at the State governmental level;

(2) it is desirable to harmonize Federal and State collection and enforcement efforts to the maximum extent possible;

(3) it is sound tax administration policy to foster administration and collection of the Federal sales tax at the State level in return for a reasonable administration fee to the States; and

(4) businesses that must collect and remit taxes should receive reasonable compensation for the cost of doing so.

(f) Findings Relating to Repeal of Present Federal Tax System- Congress further finds that the 16th amendment to the United States Constitution should be repealed.

TITLE I--REPEAL OF THE INCOME TAX, PAYROLL TAXES, AND ESTATE AND GIFT TAXES

SEC. 101. INCOME TAXES REPEALED.

Subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to income taxes and self-employment taxes) is repealed.

SEC. 102. PAYROLL TAXES REPEALED.

(a) In General- Subtitle C of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to payroll taxes and withholding of income taxes) is repealed.

(b) Funding of Social Security- For funding of the Social Security Trust Funds from general revenue, see section 201 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401).

SEC. 103. ESTATE AND GIFT TAXES REPEALED.

Subtitle B of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to estate and gift taxes) is repealed.

SEC. 104. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS; EFFECTIVE DATE.

(a) Conforming Amendments- The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended--

(1) by striking subtitle H (relating to financing of Presidential election campaigns), and

(2) by redesignating--

(A) subtitle D (relating to miscellaneous excise taxes) as subtitle B,

(B) subtitle E (relating to alcohol, tobacco, and certain other excise taxes) as subtitle C,

(C) subtitle F (relating to procedure and administration) as subtitle D,

(D) subtitle G (relating to the Joint Committee on Taxation) as subtitle E,

(E) subtitle I (relating to the Trust Fund Code) as subtitle F,

(F) subtitle J (relating to coal industry health benefits) as subtitle G, and

(G) subtitle K (relating to group health plan portability, access, and renewability requirements) as subtitle H.

(b) Redesignation of 1986 Code-

(1) IN GENERAL- The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 enacted on October 22, 1986, as heretofore, hereby, or hereafter amended, may be cited as the Internal Revenue Code of 2009.

(2) REFERENCES IN LAWS, ETC- Except when inappropriate, any reference in any law, Executive order, or other document--

(A) to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 shall include a reference to the Internal Revenue Code of 2009, and

(B) to the Internal Revenue Code of 2009 shall include a reference to the provisions of law formerly known as the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

(c) Additional Amendments- For additional conforming amendments, see section 202 of this Act.

(d) Effective Date- Except as otherwise provided in this Act, the amendments made by this Act shall take effect on January 1, 2011.

TITLE II--SALES TAX ENACTED