The term \”9-9-9\” has been etched into the minds of American voters since Herman Cain touted his tax plan during a Republican Primary debate. Why not? It\’s simple, easy to remember, and it\’s associated with Herman Cain and his run for the White House. It could be easily argued that Herman Cain\’s \”9-9-9\” plan is what has launched him to the top tier of Republican nominees. As brilliant as it is as a marketing tool for the Herman Cain campaign, it has also been successful in steering the conversation towards our broken tax system. A system that is not only complicated, but also favors some over others. The American economy is in trouble and our country is plagued with record deficits and debt. There are three main ways that we, as a nation, can address this problem. Unfortunately, only two of these solutions have been front and center as The President and Congress continue to bicker over higher taxes and less spending. The third and most sensible solution that Herman Cain\’s \”9-9-9\” plan addresses is growing the economy.

Right now, the American economy is growing at a mediocre 1.2% GDP quarter over quarter and job creation is stumbling along at anywhere between zero jobs and below 100,000 jobs created month over month. What is needed to kick start the economy is tax reform, and that is what \”9-9-9\” is all about. The plan calls for a 9% corporate tax, a 9% personal income tax, and a 9% consumption tax. It basically takes aspects of the flat tax and the fair tax and puts them together. Even better, Herman Cain\’s plan gets rid of the old tax system so there will be no more loopholes, deductions, and credits. It\’s fair in that everyone pays the same. It\’s transparent in that the government will no longer be able favor one industry over another via tax breaks. It would cut down on the amount of lobbying in Washington D.C. and will save tax payers billions of dollars a year when they go to file their tax returns. Think about it, billions of dollars back in the hands of consumers year after year which is much better than a one-time stimulus plan.

Of course, Herman Cain and his \”9-9-9\” plan has its critics. There are three main problems that naysayers of Herman Cain\’s plan point to. First, is that such a plan would never be passed. Millions of Americans want tax reform, and Herman Cain, as President, could use the power of the bully pulpit to put pressure on Congress to institute such change. Cain could single out members of Congress and their lobbyists that are resistant to his plan and target them during their re-elections. Also, there are many in Congress that are in favor of restructuring the tax system so a \”9-9-9\” plan or something similar could get done. The second problem is that many are afraid that the 9% consumption tax would create a new government revenue stream that could easily be raised by a future Congress and President. In reality, if a future Congress is ruled by a supermajority, supported by a President of the same party, they could raise taxes and create new ones at will anyway. A 9% consumption tax being implemented now has nothing to do with a future government. The final argument against \”9-9-9\” is that a consumption tax is regressive and penalizes the poor. What the \”9-9-9\” plan does, is get rid of all the hidden taxes that occur during the production of goods and therefore, those goods will be cheaper to produce. Since they are cheaper to produce, the price of the goods will not go up and the poor won\’t see any difference at all. In fact, Herman Cain\’s plan will introduce \”empowerment zones\” which would either eliminate or lessen the consumption tax for essential goods in poor and urban areas. Not only would this relieve the tax burden on the poor, but would also stimulate private investment in areas that businesses normally stay away from.

Pro growth policy should be at the forefront of fixing our ailing economy instead of draconian spending cuts and raising taxes. Herman Cain\’s \”9-9-9\” plan is easy to understand and has encouraged millions of Americans to engage in the debate. If Herman Cain\’s poll numbers, despite limited funds, are an indicator of public sentiment, it is evident that \”9-9-9\” or something similar is what Americans want when it comes to creating jobs and getting our economy headed in the right direction.

Make sure and visit A.P. Papoon\’s Herman Cain Bumper Stickers hubpage and Herman Cain for President T-Shirts blog.

Make sure and visit http://papoon.hubpages.com/hub/Herman-Cain-President-Bumper-Stickers-T-Shirts and http://hermancainbumperstickers.blogspot.com/ to sound off on the Herman Cain campaign.

Author Bio: Make sure and visit A.P. Papoon\’s Herman Cain Bumper Stickers hubpage and Herman Cain for President T-Shirts blog.

Category: Politics
Keywords: Herman Cain, 9 9 9, tax plan, pro growth