June 25, 2003

Last night, U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (3rd Dist.-Texas), re-introduced his signature legislation to repeal the 16th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The measure, H.J. Res 61, amends the Constitution by eliminating the federal income tax.

"The current tax code is as un-American as it can get - it's inherently unfair, overly complicated and extremely punitive. How could a democracy that thrives on free- enterprise punish thrift, savings and success? Not to mention, the current tax code just doesn't make sense. Forty-six tax preparers, when asked to calculate one family's taxes, came up with forty-six different answers - and all of them were right, according to the Internal Revenue Service. How can that be? That just shows how complicated the tax code was - and it's even more complicated now," continued Johnson.

Johnson advocates a new system that must be fair and simple, reduces the role of government, encourages savings and investment, drives the economy, puts the individual before the government, provides opportunity for all and puts more money in the pockets of hard-working Americans.

The measure provides all tax reform proponents a common ground for agreement that the current system is broken. From this point, they can then debate what a new tax system should look like. Fundamental and comprehensive tax reform will be one of the most profound government changes this nation experiences.

Leading tax reform advocates have backed Johnson's efforts to repeal the 16th Amendment. "The 280,000 members of Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE) applaud Representative Johnson for his tireless efforts to scrap the current tax code and replace it with one that is fairer and simpler," said Paul Beckner, President of CSE. "America desperately needs fundamental tax reform and it doesn't get more fundamental than this approach."

"Giving an expiration date to this monstrosity of a tax code may be the only way to get Congress to face up to its ugly creation," said taxpayer advocate Grover Norquist, who heads Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) in Washington. "Sam Johnson's bold bill does just that. A clean repeal of the 16th Amendment would be a godsend to all American taxpayers," Norquist continued.

Johnson serves on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.

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Adding to the remarks of Beckner and Norquist, FairTax spokesperson, Cliff Cofer, Americans For Fair Taxation (AFFT) State Director for Iowa, said:

"The stage is now set to move forward with the Fair Tax Act, H.R. 25. Finally, lifting the yoke of the abominable Income Tax System (and IRS) from the backs of the American taxpayers will at last become reality!"

Cofer's remarks were greeted with thunderous applause and cheers! Frequent shouts of Halleluiah! were heard from the wildly enthusiastic crowd. Celebrating continued on well into the night!

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