[geeks] KVM for Sun Sparc Servers with USB keyboards

[Phil Stracchino]

Sandwich Maker wrote:
> " From: Phil Stracchino <alaric at metrocast.net>
> " I think part of the point of the way the Fair Tax is designed is that it
> " *can't* be cheated and loopholed in that way, without it being REALLY
> " BLATANTLY OBVIOUS that someone's cheating.  You are familiar with how
> " it's supposed to work, right...?
> 
> actually...  no.

OK, this is the basic idea:  Completely abolish all federal personal and
corporate income taxes, gift, estate, capital gains, alternative
minimum, Social Security, Medicare, and self-employment taxes.  Replace
the above taxes with a single flat rate national sales tax at 23% on all
NEW goods for personal consumption.  Every month, the government sends
out a "prebate" to every household in the amount of the sales tax on
basic necessities up to the federal poverty level.

Nobody files tax returns any more.  The IRS can be abolished, or
retasked to manage the prebates and make sure everyone's getting their
fair prebate.  Used goods are not subject to tax.  None of the
income-hiding or income-offsetting tricks work any more, because you're
not being taxed on what you earn, you're being taxed on what you spend.

If you're at or below the poverty level, you pay no net tax at all,
because your prebate covers all the sales tax you'll pay this month.  If
you buy used goods to stretch your income (as a lot of low-income folks
have to), you may even end up with more money in your pocket than you
started out with, because you get your full prebate regardless but don't
pay any sales tax on the used goods.

Above the poverty level, it's progressive but never goes bananas.  You
don't get taxed on money you earn but don't spend, but the more you
spend, the closer your total tax rate approaches that 23%.  You're
thrifty, you drive a two-year-old car and don't buy a new wardrobe every
week?  You won't pay a lot of tax.  You bought a yacht and a private jet
this month?  That sales tax bill is gonna sting.  And because you can't
offset or shelter money you *spend*, you can't dodge the tax, no matter
how clever your accountant or how weaselly your lawyer.

There are things that could be done to cheat the tax.  You could have
your business make all of your personal purchases on your behalf - your
car, the McMansion in Woodside, the condo overlooking Fifth Avenue, the
vacation cottage on Grand Bahama - and claim they're all business
expenses.  But see "really blatantly obvious."  Oh, this 18,000 square
foot mansion that's your registered mailing address is owned by your
company?  Hmmmmmmmmmmmm....... and what business purpose does your
company use it for, exactly...?


More info at http://www.fairtax.org.


-- 
  Phil Stracchino, CDK#2     DoD#299792458     ICBM: 43.5607, -71.355
  alaric at caerllewys.net   alaric at metrocast.net   phil at co.ordinate.org
         Renaissance Man, Unix ronin, Perl hacker, Free Stater
                 It's not the years, it's the mileage.