Checking Herman Cain’s math on 9-9-9

The more people learn more about Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain’s “9-9-9” plan, the more questions they have.

One of the bigger ones is how it would affect poorer Americans. We had the chance to put the question to Cain directly during his recent swing through Florida.

“Most people are going to pay less in taxes,” Cain, a former pizza chain executive, said Oct. 5, 2011, aboard his campaign bus stopped in St. Petersburg. “Why? Because we’re expanding the base.”

Cain told us he even worked out the math himself. Someone earning $50,000 a year would pay less in taxes under his 9-9-9 than they do under the current system, he said. Under the current system, a person who earns $50,000 a year “pays about $10,000 in taxes,” Cain said. “A big part of that is the payroll tax.” Cain then walked us through his 9-9-9 plan and said the same person would “still have $2,000 left over.”

“I can’t design a system for people who don’t want to pay taxes,” Cain added. “I can design a system so they can get a job.”

Read why a trio of accountants said Cain’s math doesn’t necessarily add up.