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A Spring Day Ruined by Our Tax Code (Rep. John Linder)

by Ga. GOP Rep. John Linder - 04/17/07 4:08 PM ET

April 17 should be just another beautiful spring day. Unfortunately, this year it is Tax Day. It is a day that millions of Americans dread and fear because of our oppressive Internal Revenue Code. For weeks now, Americans have been filling out pages of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) forms and paying money to accountants and tax attorneys in an attempt to comply with over 60,000 pages of rules and regulations. Over the past 94 years, the American people have been forced to deal with the heavy burden of income taxes, and I believe that now is the time for change.

Now is the time to highlight the need for fundamental tax reform. While we may not all agree on the best form of fundamental tax reform, we can absolutely agree that our current income tax code is unfair and must be replaced by tax legislation that is simple and fair for all Americans.

Our nation’s current fiscal path is not sustainable, and unless sweeping change is enacted, we will quickly be facing a financial crisis. The FairTax will revolutionize the economy, increase the purchasing power of all Americans, and save both Social Security and Medicare.

I recognize that to outsiders it may seem as though momentum for the FairTax has slowed, but this is far from the truth. Each day new supporters from across the country write in to my Congressional office to show their enthusiasm for the FairTax. The FairTax is the next grassroots revolution, and we will make the FairTax a reality if we remain dedicated to the cause.