So the numbers are in from the Tax Policy Center of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution and they contain a rude awakening for Herman Cain and his supporters: Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan would raise taxes on 83.8 percent of American taxpayers, most of the middle- and lower-income families and individuals. But while it would represent a new burden on most Americans, it would also be a massive tax cut for the super-rich.
According to the Tax Policy Center's analysis, the average taxpayer in every income group below $200,000 would be faced with a substantial tax hike:
As you can see, if you take into account total income earned, the tax hike is truly massive on the lower end of the scale: taxpayers earning between $100,000 and $200,000 would on average see an additional 1 percent to 2 percent of their income go to taxes, but below $10,000 it would be at least 11 percent and possibly much more.
But if you earn more than $200,000, Cain's plan could be a windfall, especially if you earn more than $1 million per year:
Maybe once Republicans realize what Cain's plan would really mean, he'll become less popular. But shouldn't they have asked themselves these sorts of questions before picking him as their frontrunner?