Republicans promote ‘fair tax’ on filing day

Several House Republican lawmakers used Tuesday’s deadline for filing IRS returns to advocate for a national sales tax.

“PROBLEM: folks sacrificing precious time, money and peace of mind on a broken complex tax code. SOLUTION: the #FairTax,” Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) tweeted.

The bill, HR 25, titled the Fair Tax Act, would repeal the income, payroll and estate and gift taxes to limit the number of federal withholdings from individual paychecks. In place of those measures, the bill would establish a 23 percent national sales retail tax on goods and services that would serve as the primary revenue stream for the federal government.

“On #TaxDay remember it’s YOUR money, gov’t shouldn’t “withhold” it every month!” Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) tweeted.

The bill would also do away with the IRS, and instead designate the Treasury Department as the primary tax collector.

“The recent abuse from the IRS is another shining example of why the Fair Tax is needed. With a simplified tax code, there isn’t a need for the large agency,” said Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.)

Versions of the legislation have been introduced since 1999. The current version of the bill has 74 cosponsors.