FAIRtax Power Radio

The United States is one of only two countries in the word that extends its income tax to its citizens living outside the country.  That's true even if the citizen maintains no residence in the United States and earns no income from US sources.This week, the FAIRtax Guys welcome AFFT Grassroots Director Jim Bennett to discuss an intriguing possibility—that by virtue of holding American citizenship, the newly elected Pope may owe taxes to the IRS.

Believing a myth can be harmless, or it can have rather serious consequences.  The income tax code is so complicated and incomprehensible, it's no surprise that myths abound regarding what's in it and what it requires you to do.This week, the FAIRtax Guys look at ten myths about the income tax code that could get you in a lot of trouble if you believe and act on them.  Again, we have ten more reasons why the income tax code should be repealed in its entirety and replaced with the FAIRtax.

After refuting an Arizona investment advisor's top ten reasons why the FAIRtax fails, the FAIRtax Guys went in search of another top ten list to go over, and they found one.AARP recently published a list of the top ten weirdest tax breaks that the IRS actually allowed.  In reality, it's a list of ten reasons why the income needs to be abolished and replaced with the FAIRtax.

The FAIRtax Guys conclude their four part series responding to an Arizona investment advisor's objections to the FAIRtax.Saving the most outrageous objection for last, the Guys point out the absurdity of the claim that the FAIRtax is infested with lobbyist's influence.

Misinformation and disinformation continue to exist about how the FAIRtax works and how it will affect people.This week, the FAIRtax Guys continue their series responding to an Arizona investment advisor's objections to the FAIRtax.  Of particular interest this week is the bogus argument that the FAIRtax amounts to double taxation on retirement savings.

Last week, the FAIRtax Guys began looking at a video from an investment advisor listing his top ten reasons that the FAIRtax is a bad idea.  Of course, he never does admit that his opposition to the FAIRtax is rooted in the fact that he makes his living helping people deal with the current tax system.This week, the Guys continue running down the list, pointing out all the errors, misconceptions and downright fabrications about the FAIRtax that this video contains.

Not long ago, a listener pointed us to a YouTube video from an investment advisor listing his top ten reasons that the FAIRtax fails us. As we suspected, they were largely extrapolations from someone whose business would be adversely affected if the FAIRtax was enacted.Still, the Guys thought this could be a teachable moment for anyone who might be hearing and actually considering these knocks on the FAIRtax.  So tonight, the FAIRtax Guys begin a multi-part series pointing out why “The Top Ten Reasons that the FAIRtax Fails” are actually failures themselves.

Artificial intelligence is growing more sophisticated by the day.  As a result, more and more people are turning to it to find information and answer questions.This week, the FAIRtax Guys review a fascinating social media post where ChatGPT was asked to come up with strategies for getting the FAIRtax passed through a Congress that doesn't want to surrender the power to trade tax breaks for campaign contributions.

As President Trump continues to talk about getting rid of the income tax, excitement within the FAIRtax movement grows more intense every day.This week, AFFT President Steve Hayes joins the FAIRtax guys for a random Q&A session on several topics of importance to the FAIRtax cause.

As the young man we talked to last week found out, people's actual experience with the income tax system is often quite different than what they expected.To that end, the FAIRtax Guys discuss an article found at nerdwallet.com regarding what people expect of the income tax system and what they actually get.

FAIRtax Power Radio welcomes an old friend back to the program and he brings a young person with him who is getting his first experience with the income tax.  Let's say he found his first encounter with the Internal Revenue Code a somewhat less than pleasant experience.

Thanks to President Trump's stated desire to abolish the federal income tax, interest in the FAIRtax has never been higher.  Therefore, it's only natural that people who have never looked at the FAIRtax before would have some questions about it.This week, the FAIRtax Guys tackle some questions that have popped up on social media regarding the FAIRtax.  One deals with the impact of extending the FAIRtax to services, which are exempt from most sales taxes as we know them.

The elites who run DC have earned the nickname “The Swamp” because of the way they've been running the government for their own benefit for decades rather than doing what's best for the American people.  The current administration has pledged to drain the swamp and return control of the government to the people.This week, the FAIRtax Guys look at an article in the American Thinker that details a perfect way to accomplish that goal—replace the income tax with the FAIRtax.

It's official.  President Trump has announced that Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency will look into the inner workings of the IRS.  We don't know exactly when that will happen, but we've got a pretty good idea of what they'll find.To that end, the FAIRtax Guys look at an Epoch Times article on the subject, and look forward to the day when the American people find out just how wasteful and inefficient the IRS really is.

It's inevitable that any discussion of President Trump's plan to eliminate the income tax will be tainted with politics.Consequently, the FAIRtax Guys asked economist David Kendall to take a look at income taxes vs. consumption taxes strictly within the realm of the science of economics.  When you strip away the politics, there's clearly a good way and a bad way to fund the federal government.

AFFT Social Media Director Randy Fischer knows what has America's attention and what they're talking about.  And for the first time ever, the FAIRtax is high on the list of things America is interested in.Join the FAIRtax Guys for part two of their two part series with Randy Fischer as they discuss the FAIRtax on social media.

If you want to know which issues are commanding the attention of the American public, just check social media.  If you have a message that you want people to hear, putting it on social media is a good way to do it.This week, FAIRtax Power Radio begins a two part series with AFFT Social Media Director Randy Fischer.  The good news is that the level of interest in the FAIRtax on social media has never been higher.

The good news is that as 2025 begins, there is an unprecedented level of interest in the FAIRtax thanks in large part to President Trump's stated desire to get rid of the income tax.  The bad news is that there is a lot of misinformation and negative opinion being presented as fact about the FAIRtax in social media circles.This week, FAIRtax Guy Bob Scarborough delves into some of the social media exchanges he has had regarding the FAIRtax, and shares some advice for FAIRtax supporters on how to successfully engage FAIRtax skeptics on social media.

The 119th Congress has begun and once again, the FAIRtax has been introduced as HR 25.  Georgia Congressman Buddy Carter is again the primary sponsor.  The number of cosponsors on a piece of legislation is a good indication of how much support it has.  Therefore, it's important that we get as many cosponsors on the FAIRtax bill as possible.This week, the FAIRtax Guys examine where HR 25's cosponsorship stands in the new Congress. 

“Rich corporations need to pay their fair share of taxes”.  That may be enticing political rhetoric, but it's an economic fallacy.  Corporations don't pay taxes.  While they might have to write a check to Uncle Sam, the money to pay those taxes inevitably comes from the pockets of individuals.This week, the FAIRtax Guys look at an article written by a former North Carolina state representative that rightfully concludes that the corporate tax rate should be zero—exactly what it would be under the FAIRtax.

January 2025 marks the beginning of a new Congressional session, the 119th Congress.  The new year also marks the first time that we've had a President of the United States who is on record as wanting to get rid of the income tax.To start off the new year, AFFT president Steve Hayes joins the FAIRtax Guys for his annual “State of the FAIRtax” analysis.

All year, the FAIRtax Guys have been taking a weekly look at what the Congress Critters are proposing to do to the tax code.  Some of their proposals are somewhat humorous.  Some are maddening, and some are just plain baffling as to why something like that would be in the tax code.As 2024 draws to a close, the Guys are pleased to present their 2024 Tax Proposal Hall of Shame featuring the best of the best, or in some cases, the worst of the worst proposals to change the tax code over the past year.

With Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy poised to take a look at the IRS in their search for government waste and inefficiency, the FAIRtax Guys thought it would be interesting to take a look at what they might find.So this week, the Guys dig into an article published at factretriever.com that lists “60 Interesting Facts About the IRS”.  Just about every one of them is a testament to why the IRS needs to be put out of business by the FAIRtax.

It's been common knowledge for decades that the IRS is the poster child for government waste and inefficiency.  But just how wasteful and inefficient can that agency be?This week, the FAIRtax Guys try to answer that question by looking at a Government Accounting Office report on the subject.  What they found will astound you, but it really shouldn't surprise you.

When President Trump takes office in January, he will put Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to work ferreting out waste and inefficiency in the federal government.  The new Department of Government Efficiency is really just a Presidential advisory panel with no power to make cuts on its own, but Musk has stated that he thinks he can find $2 trillion that can be cut from the federal budget.The FAIRtax Guys respectfully submit that the IRS would be an incredibly target rich environment in the hunt for government waste and inefficiency.  The entire agency is unnecessary given that the FAIRtax can replace the revenue generated by the income tax, and the FAIRtax will be administered by the states.

Today's major news media have long abandoned any pretense that they have a responsibility to present the news in a fair and impartial manner.  What passes for “news” today is really reporters and editors trying to bring you around to their way of thinking.  Consequently, it's no surprise that media outlets emphasize stories, ignore stories and tell only the parts of a story that fit the narrative they're trying to push.With President Trump on record as favoring getting rid of the income tax, expect that more and more people are going to be looking at the FAIRtax as an alternative to the income tax.   This week, the FAIRtax Guys conclude their “The Rest of the Story” series telling you things about the FAIRtax that you likely will not hear in the legacy media.

President Trump's re-election gives us the best chance we've ever had to pass the FAIRtax.  This is the first time in history that a US President is on record as wanting to abolish the income tax.  We may not get another golden opportunity like this in our lifetime.This week, AFFT president Steve Hayes joins the FAIRtax Guys to discuss what a second Trump administration means for the FAIRtax and what we as grass roots FAIRtax supporters can do to help bring this historic shift in power from the government to the people to fruition.

Research has shown that more and more Americans don't trust the media to tell them the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  Increasingly, both broadcast and print media outlets are emphasizing stories, ignoring stories and telling only the parts of a story that fit the political narrative they're trying to push.  Consequently, it's not surprising that there's a lot about the FAIRtax that you won't hear in today's legacy media.  This week, the FAIRtax Guys begin a two part series detailing things about the FAIRtax that today's media won't tell you.

On several occasions, Donald Trump has said he would like to eliminate the income tax system and use tariffs as the primary means of funding the government.  While it's encouraging to see a major party Presidential candidate embrace the idea of getting rid of the income tax, are tariffs an appropriate replacement?This week, the FAIRtax Guys take on that question and explain why the FAIRtax would be much better replacement for the income tax than tariffs.

On Sunday October 20, the FAIRtax Guys did their annual live show from the studios of WTOB Radio in Winston-Salem, NC.A live show gives the Guys the chance to do something they can't do on their normal Zoom sessions—take calls and speak directly with listeners.  Almost from the instant the program went on the air, the phone was ringing and it didn't stop for the entire 30 minutes.

It's an objection we hear over and over again—"Sales taxes are regressive.  The FAIRtax will be a huge tax break for the rich and it will hurt the poor.”  That may be true for typical sales taxes, but the FAIRtax is NOT like other sales taxes.This week the FAIRtax Guys dig into the research library at fairtax.org and discuss an article written by economist Dr. Karen Walby.  Dr. Walby shows conclusively that while the FAIRtax does indeed benefit those with higher incomes, it's those at the lower end of the economic scale that benefit the most.

Taxes have been a fact of life from the days of the earliest civilizations, and there have been some truly bizarre things within the realm of taxation.  But no tax system the earth has ever seen has been nuttier and more bizarre that the federal income tax system in the United States.This week, the FAIRtax Guys look at an article from 2017 outlining 71 mind blowing facts about taxation.  Not all of it relates to the federal income tax, but there are still plenty of reasons why the income tax should be scrapped and replaced with the FAIRtax.

The presidential candidates have come out in favor of exempting certain kinds of income from taxation.  Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris favor not taxing tips.  Trump also favors shielding both Social Security benefits and overtime pay from the income tax.This week, AFFT president Steve Hayes joins the FAIRtax Guys to discuss what these positions mean for the FAIRtax.  If not taxing some kinds of income is a popular idea with those who receive that income, imagine how popular the idea of not taxing any income would be.

What is income?  It sounds like a simple question, but when the Internal Revenue Code enters the picture, it gets really complicated really fast.In their weekly look at proposed changes to the tax code, the FAIRtax Guys have run across hundreds of bills that would exempt certain income from taxation or remove that exemption from other kinds of income.  With the FAIRtax, it's simple.  The FAIRtax applies to the retail purchase of all new goods and services.

Ask 50 different tax preparers what a particular family owes in income tax and you'll get 49 different answers.  With its ever changing myriads of exemptions, deductions, exclusions and credits, it's impossible to predict what you'll owe in income taxes.  But with the FAIRtax, a very simple calculation can determine your tax liability with incredible accuracy.This week, John Gaver joins the FAIRtax Guys to show off a simple calculator he developed that shows exactly what anybody's tax liability will be under the FAIRtax.

IRS Publication 17 is a comprehensive guide designed to help taxpayers fill out their income tax returns correctly.  In reality, it's 142 pages detailing why the income tax is a hopelessly complicated mess that needs to be thrown out and replaced with the FAIRtax.It's also Bob Scarborough's favorite reading material.  (Yeah, right).  Join the FAIRtax Guys as they delve into the latest version of Publication 17 and expose once again what a tangled mess the Internal Revenue Code really is.

Labor unions were spawned when employers imposed oppressive working conditions on their workers.  The Internal Revenue Code has spawned a union of its own in the National Taxpayers Union.  The NTU keeps an eye on Congress and rates its members on how their votes affect the taxpayers' pockets.This week, the FAIRtax Guys examine the NTU scores for the 26 Congressional representatives who are current cosponsors of the FAIRtax bill.

Imagine ordering a dish in a restaurant that's supposed to come with two sides.  But, when your server brings your order, there's only one.  You'd notice that immediately and insist that she bring your second side.  You want to get everything you paid for.But when you get your paycheck and a big chunk of it is missing, you don't seem to mind.  You probably don't even notice that it's gone.  That's withholding.  And that goes away with the FAIRtax.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst has uncovered a dirty little secret—there are thousands of people who work for the IRS who collectively owe millions of dollars in unpaid taxes.  With illegal tax evasion standing at around $1 trillion a year, you'd think that the IRS would at least make sure its own workforce was abiding by the law, but that's clearly not the case.This week, the FAIRtax Guys go over a letter that Senator Ernst sent to the Commissioner of the IRS demanding action.  Of course, the only way to completely clean up the problem would be to replace the income tax with the FAIRtax and eliminate the IRS entirely.

Kamala Harris has picked up on Donald Trump's idea of exempting tips from the income tax.    Clearly, both candidates are trying to woo votes from workers in the service industries who rely on tips for their living.  But what happens if you carry that idea even farther and stop taxing income altogether?This week the FAIRtax Guys examine an article published on fairtax.org detailing what happens to the economy if we switch from taxing income to taxing consumption.  Here's a hint:  The economy takes off like wildfire.

The FAIRtax would represent a seismic shift in the paradigm of how taxes are collected in this country.  Consequently, there are bound to be questions and criticisms regarding how the FAIRtax would work and the impact it would have on the American taxpayer.  Some are honest, some are rooted in a vested interest in keeping the current income tax system.This week, the FAIRtax Guys conclude their journey through Boortz and Linder's original FAIRtax book by covering some of the questions and objections noted in Chapter 15.

Over the years, the IRS has been described in a number of different ways.  Kind, understanding and co-operative are not on the list.  Instead, you'll hear words like unreasonable, vicious, malicious, high-handed and vindictive.  Some have even labeled the agency as a criminal enterprise that operates with a flagrant disregard for the law and without regard for basic human decency.This week, the FAIRtax Guys review chapter 14 of the FAIRtax book in which Boortz and Linder detail some of the maddening, frustrating and even tragic encounters people have had with the IRS.

Social Security and Medicare are two incredibly popular Federal programs that millions of seniors have grown to depend on in their retirement years.  There's only one problem.  Both are going broke and politicians in both parties have been reluctant to make the tough changes necessary to bring them back to solvency.  No one is going to get re-elected by promising to cut benefits or tighten eligibility requirements.Fortunately, chapter 13 of the FAIRtax book has the solution.  Change the funding source from just those people working for a paycheck to everybody who buys things beyond their basic necessities.

Since the FAIRtax was introduced into Congress in 1999, one thing has remained consistent.  Economists from both sides of the aisle have been nearly unanimous in their agreement that a consumption tax like the FAIRtax would be much better for the economy than an income tax.This week, the FAIRtax Guys examine chapter 11 of the FAIRtax book in which Boortz and Linder look at what happens to the American economy on the day the FAIRtax replaces the income tax.  They also take a brief look at chapter 12 which details where opposition to the FAIRtax will come from.

The income tax is ridiculously easy to evade.  The latest estimates say that illegal tax evasion costs the government around $1 trillion a year.  A large part of the evasion problem is the fact that billions of dollars of income goes unreported.  Drug dealers, prostitutes, and those working for cash off the books aren't subject to withholding and don't file 1040 forms.  But those people buy things.This week, the FAIRtax Guys dissect chapter 10 of the FAIRtax Book and look at how the FAIRtax finally makes taxpayers out of those who make their living in the underground or offshore economy.

The FAIRtax is unlike any other sales tax on the planet in that it does not tax every dollar someone spends.  How can that be when the tax is included in the retail price of all new goods and services?  Enter the FAIRtax prebate.This week, the FAIRtax Guys discuss the most important chapter in the FAIRtax book—Chapter 9, the prebate.  This amazing feature is what makes the FAIRtax a fair tax by ensuring that no one pays the tax on the purchase of basic necessities.

In the first six chapters of the FAIRtax Book, authors Boortz and Linder cover a variety of problems with the current income tax system.  This includes topics from withholding to how the income tax inflates the prices of all of the goods and services we buy.Beginning with chapter seven, the focus shifts to the FAIRtax.  This week, the FAIRtax Guys explore the origins of the FAIRtax and begin to explain its basic structure.

Prior to 2017, income had to realized before it was taxable.  However, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act contained a repatriation provision that made certain unrealized income taxable.  The constitutionality of that tax was challenged in court and just recently, the Supreme Court handed down its decision.This week on FAIRtax Power Radio, tax attorney and AFFT president Steve Hayes joins the FAIRtax Guys to break down the decision and discuss what it means for the future of taxation in the United States.

The FAIRtax Guys continue their journey through Boortz and Linder's original FAIRtax book, published in 2005.This week, they tackle a subject that escapes most people's attention—the embedded costs of the income tax system that are passed on to consumers in the prices of everything we buy.  We never see them.  They're not listed on any receipt, but they are there nonetheless.  In fact, a surprisingly high percentage of what we pay for both goods and services today ends up at the IRS.

The FAIRtax book by Neal Boortz and John Linder is the definitive work highlighting the problems with the income tax system and presenting the FAIRtax as the elegantly simple solution to those problems.This week, the FAIRtax Guys use Boortz and Linder's analysis to explode the myth of corporate taxation.  The myth in question is that shifting some of the tax burden onto rich corporations somehow lightens the load for individuals.  The truth is that individuals pay every penny of a “corporate” tax.

Neal Boortz and John Linder introduced the country to the FAIRtax in 2005 with the publication of their first FAIRtax book.  The FAIRtax Guys are doing an extended series of FAIRtax Power Radio programs going back and using Boortz and Linder's words to explain what's wrong with the current income tax system and why the FAIRtax is a much better alternative.In this episode, the Guys look at one of the most evil components of the income tax system—withholding.  It's a system that not only hides how much tax people actually pay, it makes people unaware of exactly how much money they earn.