Tax day sparks more calls for Fair Tax

MARIETTA — A number of Georgia Republicans used tax day to deride the current federal tax system and advocate for the Fair Tax.

“Each year as I sit down to prepare my taxes, I am reminded of just how convoluted our tax code has become,” U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., said in a news release. “It’s filled with confusing and sometimes contradicting language and secret loopholes, creating an unfair system where those who can afford high-priced tax professionals can skirt their obligations while everyday Americans are stuck with an ever-growing tax burden.

“The Fair Tax would replace the income tax with a sales tax, eliminating the confusing process of filing your income tax return each year,” Westmoreland added. “However, the answer to the confusion of our tax code is absolutely not higher taxes. …The answer to our current debt problem is less spending in Washington – not higher taxes on the backs of American families and small businesses.”

U.S. Rep. Rob Woodall, R-Ga., this session introduced legislation to replace the current tax system with the FairTax. Dozens of House members have signed on as co-sponsors.

“We owe our citizens better than both our present tax code and bureaucratic system that taxes the wallets and patience of honest, hard working Americans while simultaneously letting tax fraud and evasion run rampant,” Woodall said in a news release.

Woodall succeeds John Linder, a Republican, who opted not to seek re-election last year. Woodall previously served as chief of staff for Linder, a staunch proponent of the FairTax