Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson on Sunday defended his proposal to put a flat tax rate in place, and argued that it would not place an unfair burden on poor people in the U.S.
“Now, some people say it’s not fair because, you know, the poor people can’t afford to pay that dollar. That’s very condescending. You know, I grew up very poor. I’ve experienced every economic level. And I can tell you that poor people have pride, too. And they don’t want to be just taken care of,” Carson said on “Fox News Sunday.” “And also, if everybody is paying, it makes it very difficult for these politicians to come along and raise taxes.”
“Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace challenged Carson, arguing that a flat tax rate would have to be very high in order to raise enough revenue. Wallace added that the model would raise taxes on the poor and cut taxes for the wealthy.
Carson disagreed and said that with a flat tax, he could also eliminate loopholes.
“I got to tell you, a lot of independent study say the people that make out like bandits in this are the wealthy,” Wallace responded.
Wallace also questioned Carson over some of the neurosurgeon’s more controversial statements.
He asked Carson if he believes his comparison between the U.S. and Nazi Germany.
“What I said is that in Nazi Germany, most of those people didn’t believe in what Hitler was doing, but did they say anything? They did not. And really that’s what allowed people to progress to that point,” Carson responded. “We need to be willing to stand up and speak up for what we believe.”
Wallace then asked Carson if he really feels Obamacare is the “worst thing since slavery.”
“Well, you have to understand what I’m talking about. You know, ObamaCare fundamentally changes the relationship between the people and the government,” Carson answered. “The government is supposed to respond to the will of the people. Not dictate to the people what they are doing. And with this program, we’re allowing that whole paradigm to be switched around.”
Watch the interview via Fox News:
