I have to wonder why Floridians got excited about Cain. I have to think it's because they connected with Cain on some sort of emotional level without really understanding what he stands for. Republicans are darned good salesmen. This guy sold pizza, which means he was an excellent salesman, all those coupons and such. Republicans make chopped liver look like a free Mercedes-Benz for everyone, all in the name of getting the unwitting to support their constituents -- business. Read how Cain pitches his 999 plan
here. This is a primer from PolitiFact:
The centerpiece of the 9-9-9 Plan is to eliminate the current, complicated income tax system -- with its series of tax credits and deductions and its variety of tax rates based on income -- and to replace it with a flat income tax. Cain's flat 9 percent income tax also would replace payroll taxes, which all workers pay and that fund Medicare and Social Security, and would end the estate tax, which is a tax on inheritances. Currently, about 49.5 percent of all tax filers pay no income tax at all, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation, a respected bipartisan committee of Congress. Cain's income tax would be collected equally for workers with two exceptions -- taxpayers could claim a deduction for charitable contributions (we haven't heard him discuss a limit) and taxpayers could earn a type of tax credit for living in an "empowerment zone," which Cain has described as inner cities needing revitalization. While the result of this part of Cain's plan would affect taxpayers differently, the flat income tax and the elimination of payroll taxes would result in shifting some of America's tax burden, making some poorer Americans pay more into the system while many middle- and upper-class Americans would pay less. Read it all at Politifact
What Floridians would pay:
The national sales tax, which would help fund the federal government, would be on top of state and local sales taxes, which fund state and local government. In Florida, that would create a hypothetical tax rate of 15 percent in most parts of the state.
