Well first of all, asThe Huffington Post spotted: “there’s already a 999 plan out there, in a land called SimCity 4.” The game’s default tax settings are the same as Cain’s, and in case there was any confusion, The Huff Post’s scorching exposé included a screenshot from the 2003 best-seller.

You have to admit the strategy of basing your tax code off a game and trying to sell it to Americans with a catchy phrase might make good business  sense (if anything, Mr. Cain is a smart business man. He has a Master’s degree in computer science from Purdue University. He became the regional vice
president of Pillsbury’s Burger King division, the President and CEO of
Godfather’s Pizza, and the President of the National Restaurant Association), but what may be smart for business may not be so smart for the bottom line in politics.

This is being shown in Mr. Cain's recent surge in a number of polls, but now that it's under scrutiny, its flaws are surfacing.

The Tax Policy Center has conducted a more in-depth analysis on how Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan would redistribute the federal tax burden. It found that 83.8 percent of all taxpayers would experience a tax increase, and in some cases that increase would be substantial.

Thanks to Jay Bookman of The Atlanta Journal Constitution for providing us with a chart based on the Tax Policy Center analysis.

As you can see, for those making less then $10,000 a year would see their after-tax income fall by 20 percent. If you make $20,000 to $30,000 a year would see their after-tax income fall by 16.2 percent. Those making $40,000 to $50,000 a year would see their after-tax income fall by 11.1 percent.

Inversely, those making between $500,000 to $1 million would see their after-tax income rise by 11.7 percent and those making more than $1 million would see their after-tax income rise by 22.4 percent.

As you can see, this chart does not include the impact on taxpayers with incomes of more than $500,000. The reason is because those numbers are so huge that they throw the entire illustration out of scale!
 
For example, those making more than $1 million, the average savings under the Cain plan is $455,247. In fact, if you make over $200,00, you'll have a positive average savings. In other words, you'll make money.

Now, maybe some Americans are fine with all this (if make over $200,000). Maybe the conservative Republicans who have rallied to Cain’s side, making him the co-leader in the nomination process, think this is a wonderful idea that would really turn this nation around.

Me, not so much.


The Tax Policy Center table. 
 
If you are curious about Mr. Cain's alternative to Social Security — a private retirement plan modeled on one instituted a generation ago in Chile, check out this article by MICHAEL WARREN - Associated Press.

FACT CHECK: Closer look at Cain's retirement model