Distribution of the FairTax burden

The Fair Tax Act (H.R. 25/S. 18) is a bill in the United States Congress for changing tax laws to replace the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and all federal income taxes (including Alternative Minimum Tax), payroll taxes (including Social Security and Medicare taxes), corporate taxes, capital gains taxes, gift taxes, and estate taxes with a national retail sales tax, to be levied once at the point of purchase on all new goods and services. The proposal also calls for a monthly payment to households of citizens and legal resident aliens (based on family size) as an advance rebate of tax on purchases up to the poverty level.^[1][2] The impact of the FairTax on the distribution of the tax burden is a point of dispute. The plan's supporters argue that it would decrease tax burdens,^[3] broaden the tax base, be progressive, increase purchasing power,^[4] and tax wealth,^[2] while opponents argue that a national sales tax would be inherently regressive and would decrease tax burdens paid by high-income individuals.^[5]