Michele Bachmann: 'I Want To Completely Abolish The Tax Code' (VIDEO)

During Tuesday night's GOP presidential debate on CNN, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) said the tax code needs to be entirely rewritten and replaced with a system where everyone pays federal income taxes, regardless of how much money they make.

"I believe absolutely every American benefits by this magnificent country," she said. "Absolutely every American should pay something, even if it's just a dollar."

Of course, all Americans do pay some form of tax, whether in the form of payroll taxes, sales tax, or various other fees. But Bachmann said the government needs to throw out its tax code and rewrite it completely so that all residents pay the same rate.

"I want to completely abolish the tax code," she said. "I want to flatten the tax for all Americans. Simplify the tax for all Americans."

Comments

[Christopher Craddock]

02:48 PM on 10/20/2011

http://www.sadanduseless.com/2011/08/michele-bachmanns-eyes-everywhere/ Buscemi eyes is great...so is this

[allisonisa39e]

11:56 PM on 10/19/2011

A flat tax may not be the answer but there does need to be a change. The tax codes are known to be so complex that no one understands them. Congress has been creating "LOOPHOLES" since the income tax was put into effect. Of course the rich, the Corporations etc take advantage of all of the loopholes in order to pay less tax. Most of us (maybe all) take advantage of every deduction that we are eligible for.
There are ways to handle it if the really poor do have to pay a tax with out 170,000 pages of tax codes.
There is a "flat tax, a fair tax, a national sales tax" maybe others.
The US survived as a country for over a hundred years without the 16th amendment which authorized the income tax in 1913.
Three States never did authorize the Amendment.

Tariffs were used prior to 1913 to provide income for the Federal Government, make foreign goods more expensive, to protect the US producer from competition and to keep jobs in the US.

Maybe we should return to using tariffs as the income for the Federal Government.

[CathrynAC]

07:30 PM on 10/20/2011

Not quite correct Allisonisa..The UK was the original tax levier for the Colonies, but there were local taxes as well. When Washington needed to raise funds to pay for the Revolutionary War he levied a Whiskey tax. As well under Article VIII of the Articles of Confederation, the United States Federal government did not have the power to tax. All such power lay with the states. The United States Constitution, adopted in 1787, authorized the Federal government to lay and collect taxes, but required that some types of tax revenues be given to the states in proportion to population. Tariffs were the principal Federal tax through the 1800s.

By 1796, state and local governments in fourteen of the 15 states taxed land. Delaware taxed the income from property. By the American Civil War, the principle of taxation of property at a uniform rate had developed, and many of the states relied on property taxes as a major source of revenue. However, the increasing importance of intangible property, such as corporate stock, caused the states to shift to other forms of taxation in the 1900s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_the_United_States

[freili]

08:09 PM on 10/19/2011

Why was she wearing Colonel Gaddafis Uniform?

[jufrgs]

04:03 PM on 10/19/2011

Apparently Bachmann is not as smart of a Tax Lawyer as she seems to try and make people think she is. She needs to read the 16th. Amendment and then come back and tell us that the rich should not pay tax. The poor has never paid Tax, or what they considered poor. There has always been a Tax schedule and the more money you made the more money you paid until Bush.

[CathrynAC]

07:37 PM on 10/20/2011

The poor do pay taxes, though they may not pay Income Taxes. They pay excise taxes (the extra charges in your bills, that are added to gas, etc.) may pay local income taxes, do pay sales tax, and many other taxes that they don't see back in a refund like we may. In fact if you look at the Tax Chart found at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040tt.pdf if you earn 5-15$ you have to file an income tax form. Since very few people earn that little, they are going to have a tax liability. It is the credits and deductions that lower their liability..but not always..remember form 1040EZ..How much did you make, how much did you send us..send the rest.

[TheEmptyMonty]

03:23 PM on 10/19/2011

First, she's going to have to figure out a way to abolish basic mathematics...

[nazztea]

03:40 PM on 10/19/2011

You're allowed to skip that class while you're taking Creationism.

[zatonoichi]

02:04 PM on 10/19/2011

Whackadoodle blimblam ditditditditdit! Bidibidibidbidi! Doot doot doot doot! Weeweeweeweeweedoodoodoodoodoodoodoo!
Wackadoodle BlimBlam!

[l78lancer]

02:41 PM on 10/19/2011

That's exactly what I heard her say!

[ninersscore]

01:30 PM on 10/19/2011

Need to keep enough money in the system for her husband to convert the gay and heal the sick.

[donnyraindog]

01:11 PM on 10/19/2011

"And if the judges see fit to award me the crown I shall abolish the tax code,bring peace to mankind ,teach the world to sing in harmony and cure the gay"

[l78lancer]

02:43 PM on 10/19/2011

Book of Bachmann Chapter1, Verse 1

[DixieMay]

01:05 PM on 10/19/2011

"I want to flatten the tax for all Americans. Simplify the tax for all Americans."

That translates to the same thing as 9-9-9. Higher taxes for lower incomes and lower taxes for higher incomes. WHAT about that don't people get?!?

[rcapitalsim]

01:25 PM on 10/19/2011

ghee.how about the fact that 9 9 9 is exactly the same number and its not different for anyone.........

[Seven Teenatheart]

01:37 PM on 10/19/2011

Yep. So if you're making 20K a year, you'll suddenly be able to fork over 9% of that? And feed your kids, pay your rent, drive to work?

A flat tax is not the answer.

[DixieMay]

02:27 PM on 10/19/2011

Gee! I CAN see that 9 is the same as 9 and that 9 is again the same! THANK you!! But it is ENTIRELY different for everyone when you're talking about adding a Fed Sales Tax.

LOL...why is GOPers call EVERYTHING a "tax increase" unless it's transferring more burden of funding America's future from Rodeo Dr to Main St???

[l78lancer]

02:46 PM on 10/19/2011

You're dead wrong. Michele's plan is 5+4, 6+3, 10-1.

[DixieMay]

02:52 PM on 10/19/2011

LOL!!

[JLau]

03:55 PM on 10/19/2011

You're talking apples and oranges here. :)

[Christina Bussmann]

12:59 PM on 10/19/2011

A progressive tax system is necessary to maintain a society capable of providing for itself at each level of income and wealth distribution. A 'flat" tax system only works if, by flat, they mean the elimination of exemptions and deductions. It would still require varying percentages at income intervals which leave enough after-tax income for each taxpayer to provide for himself or herself.

[donnyraindog]

01:17 PM on 10/19/2011

To be fair a flat tax that didn't kick in until after something like the first 50 K and really eliminated all deductions and loopholes would be a lot more progressive then the broken system we have allowed corporate lobbiests to create.

[rcapitalsim]

01:25 PM on 10/19/2011

weath isnt distributed,its earned..distribution of wealth is something socialist do,we are CAPITALIST.

[Cary D]

02:15 PM on 10/19/2011

Someone forgot to tell Paris Hilton that.

[nazztea]

02:45 PM on 10/19/2011

In a capitalist society, wealth is pretty much leveraged by stacking the deck in your own favor. That's why there is no such thing as a "free market", the well-to-do have gamed the process.

[des946]

12:46 PM on 10/19/2011

Michele who?

[rcapitalsim]

01:26 PM on 10/19/2011

bachmann

[OncologyRN]

12:35 PM on 10/19/2011

Bachmann said that she thinks "every American should pay something, even if it's just a dollar" and then she said that she wanted all residents to "pay the same rate".

Either she wants people to pay a dollar or she wants people living below the poverty line to pay the same tax rate as the Koch brothers. Really?!!!!

[Bradlinsky]

12:31 PM on 10/19/2011

While she's working to abolish the tax code, I'll be working on abolishing idiots from public office. Maybe the message is a good one, I'm for some kind of reform or flat tax ... it has to be easier: on individuals, on businesses, etc. However, the problem with this particular message is the messenger (who also calls for expose pieces on other members of congress to decide if they are 'real Americans').

[prestonsturges]

12:10 PM on 10/19/2011

"Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society" Oliver Wendall Holmes

[slickbottom]

12:47 PM on 10/19/2011

And Michele Bachmann is the price we pay for limiting abortion.

[theiFyoU]

01:11 PM on 10/19/2011

I'll take things Michelle Bachmann hasn't read for a thousand.......F&F

[prestonsturges]

12:07 PM on 10/19/2011

All these nice people seem to forget that only Congress can create Laws or Affect Taxes. All any Preisdent can do is propose ideas; Congress can carry out or reject any President's proposals.

[mtrem]

01:39 PM on 10/19/2011

Details, details...hrmph....

[prestonsturges]

01:50 PM on 10/19/2011

Ignorance is truly bliss; easier to yell at or about one man or woman then to scream at 535 respected and revered champions of democracy.

[l78lancer]

03:01 PM on 10/19/2011

UGH! Why do you people have to always interject with facts and information? Now someone (not them) will have to go back and read that Constitution thingy.

[prestonsturges]

03:17 PM on 10/19/2011

But it's fun to play with their mind