John Linder
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| John Linder | |
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Georgia's 7th district |
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1993-present |
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| Political party: | |
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| Preceded by: | Bob Barr |
| Succeeded by: | Incumbent |
| Religion: | Presbyterian |
| Born: | September 9, 1942 Deer River, Minnesota |
| Spouse: | Lynne Linder |
John Elmer Linder (born September 9, 1942), American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing the 7th District of Georgia (map).
He was born in Deer River, Minnesota, was educated at the University of Minnesota, served in the United States Air Force, was a dentist and businessman, president of a lending institution, and a member of the Georgia House of Representatives before entering the House. He serves on the Rules committee, the Committee on House Administration, the Committee on Ways and Means, and the Committee on Homeland Security. Linder also serves on the Subcommittee on Oversight and the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures. He is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Nuclear and Biological Attack, and named to the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity, and the Subcommittee on Management, Integration, and Oversight.[1]
Linder has also taken a leadership role in the effort to enact fundamental tax reform. His legislation, the Fair Tax Act (H.R.25), is a proposal for changing United States tax laws to replace all federal personal income taxes, payroll taxes, corporate taxes, capital gains taxes, self-employment taxes, gift taxes and inheritance taxes with a national retail sales tax and monthly tax rebate to households of citizens and legal resident aliens.[2] In 2006, he voted against renewal of the Voting Rights Act.
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[edit] District history
Georgia gained two seats after the 2000 census, but the Georgia state legislature produced a map intended to produce a congressional delegation of seven Democrats and six Republicans. Linder and fellow Republican Bob Barr were drawn into a heavily Republican district that, while retaining Barr's district number (the 7th), contained more of the territory Linder had represented in what had been the 4th District from 1993 to 1997 and the 11th District since 1997. Linder handily defeated Barr in the 2002 Republican primary, all but assuring him of a sixth term. Linder ran unopposed in 2004. In 2006, he was re-elected in his district with just over 70% of the vote[3].
[edit] Fair Tax Act
- For more details on this topic, see FairTax.
Linder is coauthor of The FairTax Book with radio talk show host Neal Boortz.[4] The book discusses HR25, also known as the Fair Tax Act, which Linder sponsored.
Linder first introduced the FairTax Bill in July 1999 to the 106th United States Congress. He has reintroduced substantially the same bill in each subsequent session of Congress. While the bill attracted a total of 54 House co-sponsors in 2003 and 55 in 2005, it has not been voted on by the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means.[5][6] Its formal name is the Fair Tax Act of 2005. The bill is supported by Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, but has not received support from the Democratic leadership.[7] However, Linder's legislation has attracted more cosponsors than any other fundamental tax reform bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.
[edit] Criticisms
[edit] FairTax presentation
Some have criticized Linder, Neal Boortz, and Americans For Fair Taxation for the way that they have presented the FairTax plan. The most common critique is the presented FairTax rate of a 23% sales tax on the total transaction value of new retail goods and services purchases; consumers pay to the government 23 cents of every dollar spent (sometimes called tax inclusive).[4] However, American sales taxes have historically been expressed as a percentage of the original sale price (sometimes called tax exclusive): items priced at $100 pre-tax cost $130 with the tax added.[8] The use of the tax inclusive number in presenting the rate has been criticized as deceptive and by some as a "lie".[8] However, Linder argues that the 23% number represents a better comparison to income tax rates.[4] If you are in a 25% income tax bracket, you will pay $25 in federal income taxes out every $100 you earn. With the 23% FairTax, you would pay $23 in taxes out of every $100 you spend. This is also how the legislation is written - as an inclusive tax.[2]
[edit] Non-disclosed travel
Linder has also been criticized for omitting a trip paid for by a client of lobbyist Jack Abramoff from travel disclosure forms, even though he declared it on his personal income filings. "Linder should have filed a travel form shortly after his trip and could have corrected it when when he belatedly filed for other trips last year. Failing to properly report sponsored travel is a violation of House rules."[9]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ John Linder Biography. The Online Office of John Linder. Retrieved on 2006-08-27.
- ^ a b Linder, John (2005-01-04). H.R. 25: Fair Tax Act of 2005. govtrack.us. 109th U.S. Congress. Retrieved on 2006-07-20.
- ^ http://www.sos.state.ga.us/elections/election_results/2006_1107/023.htm
- ^ a b c Boortz, Neal, Linder, John (2006). The Fair Tax Book, Paperback, Regan Books. ISBN 0-06-087549-6.
- ^ Linder, John (2003-01-07). H.R.25 2003 Cosponsors. THOMAS (The Library of Congress). Retrieved on 2006-08-22.
- ^ Linder, John (2005-01-04). H.R.25 2005 Cosponsors. THOMAS (The Library of Congress). Retrieved on 2006-08-22.
- ^ Bender, Merrill (2005-06-01). Economists Back FairTax Proposal. Budget & Tax News. The Heartland Institute. Retrieved on 2006-07-20.
- ^ a b Vance, Laurence (2005-12-12). There is No Such Thing as a Fair Tax. Ludwig von Mises Institute. Retrieved on 2006-07-20.
- ^ Byrne, John (2006-02-27). Georgia congressman failed to declare Abramoff client trip. Raw Story. Retrieved on 2006-08-27.
[edit] External links
- Campaign website
- Congress website
- Linder's FairTax website
- Campaign finance data
- Linder's voting record - maintained by the Washington Post
| Preceded by: Ben Jones |
U.S. Representative of Georgia's 4th Congressional District 1993–1997 |
Succeeded by: Cynthia McKinney |
| Preceded by: Cynthia McKinney |
U.S. Representative of Georgia's 11th Congressional District 1997–2003 |
Succeeded by: Phil Gingrey |
| Preceded by: Bob Barr |
U.S. Representative of Georgia's 7th Congressional District 2003– |
Succeeded by: Incumbent |
