The idea behind the 9-9-9 tax plan is to impose a nine percent income tax, a nine percent corporate tax and a nine percent federal sales tax. It's getting a lot of coverage in the media and on social networks, but as we found out, not everyone thinks a one-size-fits-all plan will work for all Americans.
You Don't Have to Be an Economist
Even though the 9-9-9 idea has helped Herman Cain make gains at the polls, it's nothing revolutionary, according to Rich Lowrie, 
Cain's senior economic adviser. He's drawn criticism for the fact that he's not an economist, but Lowrie told the Detroit Free Press you don't need to be one to understand the core principles of finance. Lowrie told Bloomberg that if the government were under this plan in 2008 the U.S. would have collected about $2.3 trillion.
A Tax Code that's Easy to Follow
The Huffington Post pointed out that his 9-9-9 plan may seem a bit familiar to any fans of the video game SimCity. Starting in 2003, the game used a flat tax equal to nine percent, in an effort to make the tax code easy to follow for gamers. Those familiar with the game say the SimCity tax code actually pushed most players into debt, but we can all agree that a video game scenario is quite different from reality—particularly when it comes to how carefully people spend their money.
One Size Can't Fit Everyone
Some say 9-9-9 is a one-size-fits-all plan for a country full of very different people. "It would be a good idea if everyone had a family with two kids," says Amy Galaska of Pennsylvania. "It fails to take into account those families that have four-plus children. You have to buy more of everything, and currently in some states, necessities aren't taxed. If local and state taxes could be changed to get rid of property taxes first, I think the 9-9-9 plan would make more sense. As it stands now, it's not ideal for large families."
South Carolina resident Nicole Kachinsky agrees that the plan unfairly burdens families. "Corporations can pay more than 9 percent," says Kachinsky who is studying for her master's degree. "They pay much less as a percentage of total federal income than individual taxpayers."
Some Say Simple Is Better
Others like the idea of taking out the complexity of the tax code and making it a process everyone can understand. "I love it," says Ben Moffett of South Carolina. "It has the potential to decrease self employment taxes by possibly as much as 13 percent, which for many businesses would allow the owners to hire more employees."
Stephanie Storm-Robertson, a small business owner in Washington, says she's not sure if she's behind 9-9-9 completely, but she loves the idea of taking the mystery out of taxes. "As a small business owner I paid almost $2,000 to have a professional complete my taxes last year," she says. "I don't know if this is the right plan, but I am all for simplification."
As primaries and caucuses kick off in early 2012 we'll have a better idea if Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan is really resonating with voters.
