Here's an interesting alternative to Herman Cain's 9-9-9 Plan. Perhaps Washington D.C. suppressing the sale of goods and services with a National Sales Tax could lead to unintended consequences.
The 0-0-0 Plan
The 0-0-0 Plan
Simple enough; 9-9-9 might actually be a step up from our current situation. But, then again, we're talking about the federal government. Its main problem is spending. Cain's 9-9-9 Plan would sustain the same general level of federal revenue. It would do nothing to address the national debt crisis we face. For example, the plan does nothing to curb the hidden inflation the Federal Reserve System causes when it creates money to fund new programs.
The plan has more problems. A national sales tax is the last thing the country needs with ever-increasing rates of inflation. With the price of food, energy and other needs rising, a sales tax would compound the financial burden of millions of poor and middle-class Americans.
Given historical precedent of federal tax policies, there is a very real chance that a 9 percent sales tax would rise rapidly to sustain future Washington spending binges. Remember, the federal income tax rate was originally set at a maximum rate of 7 percent. Expecting Congress to jealously guard any hike in sales or income taxes is just naïve.