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“This is what they feared… and they were right to fear… because there’s a whole universe of folk who are gonna know it too. They’re gonna see it. Somebody has to speak… So no more running. I aim to misbehave.” ~Captain Malcolm Reynolds – Serenity (the Sci-Fi Channel)
"Is there a solution for North Minneapolis with Fair Tax?"
by Donald W.R. Allen, II – Editor in Chief/IBNN NEWS and Black Politics in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, MN (IBNN NEWS/Editorial/September 4, 2011)…Is there a war against doing what’s right? Doesn’t local government have a responsibility to take care of home before sending millions overseas for famine relief?
The Fair Tax [1] is a tax reform proposal for the federal government of the United States that would replace all federal taxes on personal and corporate income with a single broad national consumption tax on retail sales. The Fair Tax Act (H.R. 25/S. 13) would apply a tax once at the point of purchase on all new goods and services for personal consumption. The proposal also calls for a monthly payment to all family households of lawful U.S. residents as an advance rebate, or “prebate“, of tax on purchases up to the poverty level. First introduced into the United States Congress in 1999, a number of congressional committees have heard testimony on the bill; however, it has not moved from committee and has yet to have any effect on the tax system. In recent years, a tax reform movement has formed behind the Fair Tax proposal.
For a simple explanation of Fair Tax, I turn to Forbes Magazine and a paragraph written by Kelly Phillips Erb [2] :
“Many people have never heard of the Fair Tax. A quick and short note about it. The Fair Tax is simple. Everything that you buy is taxed at 23%. I know it sounds high but to compensate for the tax on necessities of life a check for $600 is sent to each tax payer. There is no IRS and no income tax. The manufacturers don’t pay taxes; the middle man pays no tax, only the end user. Therefore the manufacturer’s cost would be lower and he would be able to reduce his prices and pass the lower price on to the consumer. A side effect of the Fair Tax is that only those who are on the tax roles legally would receive the $600 a month check. To my way of thinking this would mean that the illegal aliens (who we tax payers have been supporting for years) would be paying the 23% and not getting the $600. That basically means that they would be helping to support the legal tax payers for a change.”
In June 2011 IBNN NEWS sent Ward 5 city councilman Don Samuels an email asking him to consider making the north side, (zip codes: 55405 & 55411) a Fair Tax Zone.
Respectfully, Councilman Samuels said he would look into it.
I think Councilman Samuels is a fair man. I would very much like to see Samuels as mayor of Minneapolis.
The crumbling monument of jobs and economic development in Minneapolis can be attributed to not only the political infrastructure but also to the lack of new ideas and individual leadership of communities that have remained in a cave while letting self-appointed spokespersons decide the fate of the many…but only a few benefit.
One way to attract new stimulus into one of the poorest communities in Minneapolis would be for the Minneapolis City Council to pass the Fair Tax Act exclusively for areas in Minneapolis that have suffered poor economic opportunities, lack of job growth and a standstill in positive measurable outcomes.
Besides addressing the issues of public safety, which is a real concern – especially over north, the growth of a community by passing the Fair Tax Act would change 30 years of economic depression in a matter of 36 months.
Implementing the Fair Tax doctrine inside of north Minneapolis first would set in motion a top-of-mind attraction for local, national and global businesses to set up shop on the north side provided the city of Minneapolis also gives big businesses incentives to hire from the community which now, in 2011 as one of the highest unemployment rate for any neighborhood in the United States.
This is only one of many solutions that might be economically feasible to set a path for opportunity for a community that continues to be hit hardest by the current state of benign neglect.
[1] – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairTax
[2] Forbes Magazine - http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2011/09/02/guest-post-fair-tax/
