Huckabee defends his flat tax as fair to the poor

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Sunday reiterated his proposal for a single, flat tax rate, foreshadowing that the issue of income inequality and fairness will again become an issue in the Republican presidential campaign.

Some GOP presidential contenders have regularly promised to gut the Internal Revenue Code and replace it with a flat tax simple enough to allow many Americans to fill out their taxes on a postcard. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson — who, like Huckabee, has formally announced his candidacy — has called for a 10 percent, across-the-board rate.

Appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” Huckabee attacked the Tax Policy Center, which argued his “fair tax” would hurt poor wage earners disproportionately.

“That tax study is one that has been discredited,” Huckabee said.

His plan would include a “prebate, which untaxes people for their necessities,” he said, asserting: “The poorest people end up coming out better.”