Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 Plan Similar to SimCity’s Virtual Tax Plan
EmailWhether it came from a pizza box or an unnamed Wells Fargo banker, Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 economic plan is now being compared to another unlikely source: the SimCity video game.
Long before the GOP presidential candidate’s plan began dominating the political discourse, a shockingly similar 9-9-9 plan was ruling the virtual world of SimCity. In the video game, residents of SimCity 4 pay default taxes that include a 9 percent commercial tax, a 9 percent industrial tax and a 9 percent residential tax, Huffington Post Politics pointed out.
Cain’s plan implements a 9 percent sales tax, 9 percent personal income tax and 9 percent corporate income tax.
When asked about the similarities, Cain’s campaign spokesman JD Gordon said, “Well, we all like 9-9-9,” the Huffington Post reports.
Kip Katsarelis, a senior producer for SimCity’s production company, Maxis, said the company likes that their ideas for video games are being attempted in the real world.
“We encourage politicians to continue to look to innovative games like SimCity for inspiration for social and economic change,” Katsarelis said, according to the Huffington Post. “While we at Maxis and Electronic Arts do not endorse any political candidates or their platforms, it’s interesting to see GOP candidate Herman Cain propose a simplified tax system like one we designed for the video game SimCity 4.”
He said game developers chose the simple tax code so gamers could focus more on “ building their cities and have fun thwarting giant lizard attacks, rather than be buried by overly complex financial systems.”
White House Loves Aggressive Journalism ... Abroad 
Virginia Ultrasound Bill Hits Nerve
Not surprised at all.. What a clown. LOL
Posted by: WMWMWMWMWM | October 13, 2011, 4:20 pm 4:20 pm
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE AND GOOD AMERICA’S PRESIDENCIES—THE MYTH.
Herman Cain’s 999 idea is very foolish, simplistic, regressive even reactionary. It will continue the massive transfer of wealth to the already wealthy and make the poor and middle class much poorer. Cain will soon, however, overstay his welcome, as Republicans will never make him their nominee. His indication that he would make either Paul Ryan or Jim DeMint his running mate (if indeed he is nominated?) is Sarah Palin de javu all over again. Bring it on, Cain!
And about Romney?
WHO KNOWS what and when Romney’s next “evolution” will be? May be after the elections he will make another volte face. The man is hopeless, and will never the President of the United states! Period.
Americans cannot be fooled as this man prepares to have taxpayer complete his mansion expansion in California. That is how the man is. Don’t you think that if he wants to spend his own money, he could have started doing the expansion work now even while he campaigns. All he has to do is make a plan and get a contractor to carry it out. Instead, he floats an idea, and expects taxpayers to later pick up the tab if he wins the Presidency.
Finally, this man is yet to be confronted with his bogus, untruthful claim that business people make good Presidents. Herbert Hoover (engineer businessman) took the US to the Great Depression. Calvin Coolidge (not a businessman, though his father was) before him succeeded. Compare the Presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt (business experience) and FDR (no business experience, though he had a polio rehab center later)? Warren G. Harding, with all his experience was disappointing. More recently, remember Cheney and George W. cf. Bill Clinton (Clinton created tons of jobs; Bush and Cheney drove the economy into the cliff and brought the global economy to near collapse)? Jimmy Carter (businessman) did not quite succeed. Clearly, it is a myth that former business people make good Presidents! That will be made clearer as the election progresses. Romney himself was failed one term Governor who raised taxes, could create jobs, just as he did when he was in business–he killed jobs. He lies like no one else and even the one achievement he made (the Massachusetts health care reform, he now denies just to win the Republican nomination for president). That too will come to greater light!!! For sure!
The, Romney still has to deal with his Mormon problem—and the votes of Christian conservatives and other problems, including the fact that he wants to return to the failed Bush policies that destroyed the country. Finally, Romney is the best friend that Wall Street can buy—he would have to answer to the “Occupy Wall Street” movement.
Dr. Sam
Posted by: DrSam800 | October 13, 2011, 4:36 pm 4:36 pm
9-9-9 is not going to work.
5-5-5 is better, fairer, and much more likely to pass a GOP led CONGRESS.
If it is a Democrat led Congress it will have to be 90 .. 90 … 90 … The always like to spend 10 times more of money than they should
Posted by: Mr. Data | October 13, 2011, 4:39 pm 4:39 pm
I find it more that a coincidence that this man is attatched to a name like godfather. We have an administration that is about as corrupt and lawless as the mafia. A lot of similarities. Cain is nothing but a tool that the globalists and nwo elitists are telling this mainstream media to parade in front of us. He is definately NOT what this country needs 9,9,9 indeed.
Posted by: PeoplePower | October 13, 2011, 4:44 pm 4:44 pm
OK… so what happens in SimCity if you change the default 9-9-9 tax rate to a 0-0-30% National Sales Tax?
That’s “Phase II” of Cain’s plan, you know.
Posted by: Willie Green | October 13, 2011, 5:18 pm 5:18 pm
Massive transfer of wealth??? Are you saying wealth is finite? If so you’re not so bright.. If you look at the quality of life for people in the US classified as poor you will find that they live better and live longer than the noble classes did 1000years ago. All this is possible because of capitolism, a system that has grown wealth like none other.
If you think that taxing the rich is the answer to our problems you are buying into the lie. Even if you taxed the top 5% at 90% of they’re income we still wouldn’t have enough money to cover the debt. And think about what you would do if someone was taking 90% of your money… you would move! American companies have been taking jobs overseas because they can make more money and be more competative by hiring workers that work harder for less money.
Posted by: owen | October 13, 2011, 6:09 pm 6:09 pm
Perhaps designed by a millionaire sponsored think tank because it shifts more of the tax burden away from the affluent and onto the poor and the middle class. Just how math challenged are the nonrich teapods?
Posted by: Javalation | October 13, 2011, 6:17 pm 6:17 pm
Cain’s plan is a gimmick, and I don’t want it.
People are taxed too much as it is, but he wants to implement a tax that is much easier for congress to manipulate? Is he insane?? I mean, 9-9-9 will eventually be raised to 15-15-15 or 23-23-23 or God knows whatever else. And, to make matters worse, state taxes will still exist, so state taxes and Cain’s ridiculous plan will only make things worse for future generations.
I’m so sick of the way the government and the IRS harasses good people, right now. There shouldn’t be an Income Tax, so why don’t the Republicans run a candidate who will get rid of the Income Tax completely? Until they do, I don’t see the point of voting.
All of the warmongers don’t deserve votes, anyway.
Posted by: Osiris | October 13, 2011, 6:56 pm 6:56 pm
Cain’s plan is a gimmick, and I don’t want it.
People are taxed too much as it is, but he wants to implement a tax that is much easier for congress to manipulate? Is he insane?? I mean, 9-9-9 will eventually be raised to 15-15-15 or 23-23-23 or God knows whatever else. And, to make matters worse, state taxes will still exist, so state taxes and Cain’s ridiculous plan will only make things worse for future generations.
I’m so sick of the way the government and the IRS harasses good people, right now. There shouldn’t be an Income Tax, so why don’t the Republicans run a candidate who will get rid of the Income Tax completely? Until they do, I don’t see the point of voting.
All of the warmongers don’t deserve votes, anyway.
Posted by: Osiris | October 13, 2011, 7:01 pm 7:01 pm
As usual, the racist American journalists always like to mock Cain, an African American, just as they have been always mocking President Obama.
Sad and sickening.
Posted by: skponggol | October 13, 2011, 7:27 pm 7:27 pm
The current taxcode is nothing BUT a Congressional manipulation. Congress constantly adds deductions, credits, etc. to influence voting and public behavior. Each time they do this, it costs more for the public to file and the IRS to collect. If the tax code could be reformed to stop this sort of political favoritism, maybe it could change how Congress behaves. Do I favor 999? I don’t know. I want the details, and I’m not going to get them from articles like this one. I do find it interesting that there has been a flood of articles criticizing a plan that has yet to have details. I think I’d be less skeptical if these same articles equally criticized the current system of which we have ALL THE DETAILS.
Posted by: Tyler Durden | October 13, 2011, 7:29 pm 7:29 pm
Does this surprise me not in the least all of them think that politics is a game no matter who your are speaking about and that is a fact.
Posted by: Carol | October 13, 2011, 8:23 pm 8:23 pm
Flat tax = a larger burden on the poor.
Ex:
Person 1) Makes 1 million/year, and pays a flat tax of 10% (for ease)
Person 2) Makes 40k/year, and pays a flat tax of 10%
That means the millionaire still has 900k left over. Meanwhile Person 2 (most of us), only has 36k left. Now if Person 2 is a single mother, with 2 children … maybe then you can start to see the inequality here. If you make more … you should pay more. Pretty simple.
Posted by: Plato | October 13, 2011, 8:42 pm 8:42 pm
Under Cain’s plan Google won’t have to cheat the tax system anymore because they won’t owe ANY taxes under 9 9 9. As long as they pay their executives in stock and distribute all profits as dividends they will owe nothing unlike now where they have been caught abusing loopholes to not have to pay anything and yet only pay a top rate of 18.8 anyway. Why aren’t people screaming about Goggle like they do about the 47% that are too poor to owe?
U.S. companies are sitting on at least $1.375 trillion in earnings in their foreign subsidiaries on which they have paid no federal income taxes, according to a May report by JPMorgan Chase & Co. Companies including Google, Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO), Pfizer Inc. (PFE), Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) are lobbying Congress for a tax holiday on bringing home those profits, which would otherwise be subject to U.S. income tax at the 35 percent corporate rate with a credit for foreign taxes already paid.
Google cuts its tax bill by about $1 billion a year using a technique that allocates profits to a unit managed out of a law firm in Bermuda, where there is no corporate income tax. In 2009, the most recent year for which records are available, this subsidiary collected 4.34 billion euros (about $6.1 billion) in royalties from a Google unit in the Netherlands, according to a Dutch corporate filing.
Posted by: Dave Mowers | October 13, 2011, 11:09 pm 11:09 pm
This plan is laughable… he ought to be ashamed of himself,…. but i know he’s not. He’s to arrogant to be ashamed of anything! Here is part of an article regarding his BIG plan. =========================
We had a local tax preparer look at some actual returns and crunch the numbers. In the first scenerio, a low income couple with children and making $20,000 a year paid no taxes in 2010, but would have to pay almost $2,000 under the 999-plan.
Sharon McClellan at Mr. Tax of America says, “Their tax was zero. Under the new plan that was proposed, there would be a 9%, which is $1,848.”
This couple in 2010 also had earned income and child tax credits of $7,036. That would be wiped out under Cain’s plan.
McClellan says, “So the tax that was zero with the taxpayer receiving a refund suddenly becomes an increase in tax of $8,884.” That’s almost half of the $20,000 the couple made going to taxes, and that’s before factoring in the 9% sales tax.
On the other end of the spectrum, a metro executive making $837,000 last year paid $234,000 in taxes. Under Cain’s plan, that person would pay just $78,000 in taxes.
In this example, let’s assume that executive spent his entire $837,000 income on new items. He would still see his taxes drop.
McClellan says, “The sales tax would be another $78,000 bringing the total tax to $156,000. And that compares to the $234,000, so he’s still getting a $70,000 decrease in taxes in one year’s time.”
Cain’s 9% sales tax only applies to new items, so his supporters point out that would help the poor who generally aren’t buying expensive new items like cars or houses.
But our tax preparer says, numbers don’t lie, and she doesn’t think 999 is a good plan.
========================
He tried to slip this by the citizens of the U.S. He’s slick… but not slick enough!
Posted by: Lorrie | October 14, 2011, 8:10 am 8:10 am
10% of 1 million is a heck of a lot more than 10% of 40,000….it’s more than 100% of 40,000!!! It is fair. Everyone pays the same rate.
Posted by: Joe Blow | October 14, 2011, 9:23 am 9:23 am
LOL! Discussing Cain’s ripped-off, really stupid and simplistic “plan”, is moot. He will NEVER be sent up against Obama by the Republican Party. They will NEVER select him as their presidential candidate! Anyone who believes for a SECOND that they will is crazy…………
Posted by: Searambler | October 14, 2011, 11:04 am 11:04 am
nein , nein , nein
RON PAUL!
Posted by: gary | October 14, 2011, 11:47 am 11:47 am
It doesn’t matter who the republicans run, Odummer will be beat, likely by a landslide. People are sick of this commie lowlife occupying the Whitehouse. This guy was elected for all the wrong reasons and the very people standing in the unemployment lines are getting exactly who and what they voted for!
Posted by: John | October 14, 2011, 5:10 pm 5:10 pm
@JOHN ===============================
The “DUMB” Republicans and Tea Heads, better known as “Boehner’s Bunch”, will help Obama stay in the White House. They are pushing themselves out of the House as well….. now who’s dumb??? LOL
Posted by: Lorrie | October 14, 2011, 6:14 pm 6:14 pm
This guy was elected for all the wrong reasons and the very people standing in the unemployment lines are getting exactly who and what they voted for! Posted by: John | October 14, 2011, 5:10 pm.
LOL! “All the wrong reasons”?!?!? Please, elaborate. And FYI, the unemployed know exactly who is responsible for the lousy economy and the dearth of jobs, and it ain’t Obama. It’s the idiot politicians on the Right, who have stated that their NUMBER ONE PRIORITY is to make Obama a one-term president. What better way to accomplish that than to tank the economy and keep unemployment high? And then, of course, blame the president. This isn’t rocket science. But it IS pure evil……….
Posted by: Searambler | October 15, 2011, 11:18 am 11:18 am
(Time.Com): “The worst idea is a proposed national sales tax,” Cain wrote. A 9% national sales tax is now one of Cain’s three nines.
The problem, Cain argued in 2010, is that similar national sales taxes have “eventually gone up or expanded” in other countries. This argument echoes current conservative critics of 9-9-9, including Americans For Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist, who claim that enacting a national consumption tax would make the government more vulnerable to revenue-hungry bureaucrats.
Posted by: Searambler | October 16, 2011, 11:13 am 11:13 am
For tax purposes, businesses are currently allowed to deduct the wages and salaries they pay from their gross income. Under Cain’s plan, the deduction for wages and salaries would be abolished, meaning that the “profits” that firms report to the I.R.S. would be much higher, as would their tax bills. Firms would then seek to pass on the higher taxes to workers in the form of lower wages.
Take a firm with gross revenues of a hundred million dollars that pays fifty million dollars in wages and salaries and forty million dollars in other costs (raw materials, advertising, and so on). Under the current system, the firm’s taxable profits are ten million dollars, and its tax bill is $3.5 million.
Under Cain’s proposal, since the firm could no longer deduct the fifty million in wages and salaries, its taxable profit would jump to sixty million. At a tax rate of nine per cent, its tax bill would be $5.4 million. If you compare this figure to $3.5 million, you will see that the firm’s effective tax rate would jump by more than half under the Cain plan. When applied to firms throughout the economy, such a tax hike would generate a very big jump in revenues from the business tax despite the fact that it was being levied at a lower rate.
Posted by: Searambler | October 16, 2011, 12:58 pm 12:58 pm
Please let me know if you’re looking for a article writer for your blog. You have some really great articles and I think I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d love to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please shoot me an e-mail if interested. Cheers!
Posted by: does golf fuel work? | November 29, 2011, 1:29 pm 1:29 pm