It's a New Day in America, Let's Tax Like it.
By: Rep. Earl L. "Buddy" Carter
I have a message for DOGE — let’s dismantle the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
President Trump has a mandate from 77 million Americans to shake up Washington, and that is exactly what his administration is doing. From stripping taxpayer dollars from countries that hate America to forcing Mexico and Canada to the negotiating table with the threat of tariffs, we’re already seeing the positive impacts of strong, America First leadership.
We must use this momentum to push domestic policies that will uplift the working class.
I am ready — and have a plan in place — to work in lockstep with the Trump-Vance Administration and Department of Government Efficiency to fundamentally change the way our nation collects revenue by building a tax system that is pro-growth, straightforward, and fair.
The aptly named Fair Tax is a Georgia-grown proposal that would repeal the current tax code, including all personal and corporate income taxes, the death tax, gift taxes, and payroll tax, and replace it with a single, 23% national consumption tax. Working Americans shouldn’t have to rely on an army of accountants and lawyers just to figure out how much money they “owe” the government.
Under the Fair Tax, you decide when and how much you pay in taxes.
My proposal is as simple as it is revolutionary: if you make $50,000 a year, you will pocket $50,000 a year. It is none of the government’s business when your payday is or how much you make; that information would stay between you and your employer, where it belongs.
A 23% sales tax is likely to shellshock some people, and rightfully so. However, your income and purchasing power will increase should this proposal take effect.
Already, the sticker price of a good or service is marked up by as much as 25% to account for the corporation’s tax burden and associated compliance costs. By getting rid of those expenses for businesses, prices at the pump and register will go down as the amount of money hitting your bank account goes up.
In addition, the revenue influx from President Trump’s tariffs has the potential to lower that tax rate, as foreign nations will be paying their fair share to do business in the United States.
On top of that, eligible families will receive a monthly pre-bate, allowing them to purchase basic goods and services, such as groceries, gas, and medicine, tax-free. A family of four could realistically spend $30,000 a year without paying a penny to Uncle Sam, and every dollar they save is theirs to keep.
This proposal also rewards sustainable shopping habits by allowing folks to purchase second-hand items without any markups from the government.
The Trump-Vance administration, working alongside Elon Musk, has brought big ideas back to Washington.
I’d submit that the Fair Tax would move the needle on several of this administration’s bold, necessary priorities. President Trump has called for the elimination of income taxes and taxes on tips; the Fair Tax abolishes both, and then some.
This administration is focused on increasing the efficiency of the federal government and cutting wasteful spending; the Fair Tax will do away with the IRS, which has been increasingly weaponized against hardworking Americans, saving taxpayers billions of dollars. By cutting corporate taxes, we will unleash domestic energy and investment in our economy. Finally, everyone will pay their fair share in taxes, from the wealthy to illegal immigrants.
I’ll admit that for unelected bureaucrats this is a radical proposal; but, for the single mom who just spent four years under Bidenflation trying to decide between buying gas and buying groceries, this is a lifeline.
By supporting the Fair Tax, DOGE can work with Congress to Make Taxation Great Again and put We, the People back in charge of our paychecks.
It’s a new day in America. Let’s tax like it.
Read the full op-ed here.
