John,

Republicans in the House of Representatives are trying to shift the majority of taxes onto the working class -- and off of their billionaire donors. Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) has introduced the so-called “Fair Tax Act” -- and Speaker McCarthy has agreed to bring it to a vote. This law would abolish the IRS and put a new 30% sales tax on every single thing that Americans buy. Every good and every service. From mac and cheese to haircuts.

A 30% sales tax is a gift to billionaires and an insurmountable burden to everyday, hard-working families. The same families who are feeling the brunt of inflation will also suffer under a 30% sales tax on the very goods and services they’re struggling to buy now. Send a direct message to Congress and demand they stop the mis-named Fair Tax Act.

This wouldn’t just change how Americans pay their taxes, it would change who pays taxes. Income taxes are more progressive than sales taxes, meaning that this new Republican plan would be a significant tax cut for wealthy Americans and a significant tax increase on ordinary Americans. All this regressive tax policy would do is allow the wealthy and corporations to hoard even more of their wealth, while being an incredible burden on middle and low-income communities.  

Ordinary folks are hurt twice-over: the cost of everything they buy will skyrocket, and government services they use, covering health, education, and more, will have to shrink, because wiping out the whole federal tax code and replacing it with a 30% sales tax will lose a lot of revenue, which will instead line high-income pockets. If this bill tried to make up all the lost revenue, it’s estimated they would need a 60% sales tax. No fairness here; no sense, either.

We need to send a message to every member of Congress that anything that would raise taxes on ordinary Americans and cut taxes for billionaires isn’t just a bad idea -- it’s morally and politically toxic. It’s time that House Republicans start putting hard working families ahead of their millionaire and billionaire donors.

Click here to send a direct message to your member of Congress today, telling them to stop the 30% sales tax!

Thank you for standing up for working families,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs