How Many Legs does Herman Cain's 9-9-9 Tax Plan Have?
Richard E Walrath and Patricia L Johnson
October 10, 2011
Cain states his 9-9-9 plan would replace the current IRS tax system with a flat 9 percent income tax, 9 percent corporate tax and 9 percent consumption tax.
Various news reports have stated Herman Cain´s new found popularity is due to the simplicity of his 9-9-9 tax plan and my question is how many people actually know what his 9-9-9 plan is? If they did they wouldn´t like it. A 9% National Sales Tax is bad for 50% at least, of the households in this country. A 9% income tax added to the National Sales Tax = 18%. That´s higher than they´re paying now. This form of taxation is extremely harmful to the poor and middle class in this county and it´s not the end of the story. There is nothing simple, or fair, about Cain´s 9-9-9 Tax Plan.
Reminds me of a story I once heard about President Lincoln.
Lincoln was in court and asked his opponent,
"How many legs does a dog have?"
"Why, four of course", was the answer his opponent provided.
"And how many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg?" Lincoln asked.
"Why, five, of course" was the answer from his opponent.
"No, the answer is still four", said Lincoln. "Calling a tail a leg doesn´t make it a leg".
Calling Cain´s tax plan fair and simple does not make it either fair or simple.
Herman Cain is first and foremost a former CEO and as a former CEO his first and primary concern will always be the corporate bottom line – what can be done to improve corporate profits. His interest in the poor and middle-class can be summed up in one sentence "Don´t blame Wall Street, don´t blame the big banks, if you don´t have a job and you´re not rich, blame yourself!"
2011 Richard E Walrath
Various news reports have stated Herman Cain´s new found popularity is due to the simplicity of his 9-9-9 tax plan and my question is how many people actually know what his 9-9-9 plan is? If they did they wouldn´t like it. A 9% National Sales Tax is bad for 50% at least, of the households in this country. A 9% income tax added to the National Sales Tax = 18%. That´s higher than they´re paying now. This form of taxation is extremely harmful to the poor and middle class in this county and it´s not the end of the story. There is nothing simple, or fair, about Cain´s 9-9-9 Tax Plan.
Reminds me of a story I once heard about President Lincoln.
Lincoln was in court and asked his opponent,
"How many legs does a dog have?"
"Why, four of course", was the answer his opponent provided.
"And how many legs does a dog have if you call his tail a leg?" Lincoln asked.
"Why, five, of course" was the answer from his opponent.
"No, the answer is still four", said Lincoln. "Calling a tail a leg doesn´t make it a leg".
Calling Cain´s tax plan fair and simple does not make it either fair or simple.
Herman Cain is first and foremost a former CEO and as a former CEO his first and primary concern will always be the corporate bottom line – what can be done to improve corporate profits. His interest in the poor and middle-class can be summed up in one sentence "Don´t blame Wall Street, don´t blame the big banks, if you don´t have a job and you´re not rich, blame yourself!"
2011 Richard E Walrath
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