Cain's Plan: It's Now the '909' For the Poor

By James Rosen, Fox News

Stung by criticism that his signature "9-9-9" economic plan would saddle America's poorest citizens with a disproportionate share of the country's tax burden, GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain announced some new features to the plan, even as he insisted they have been included in his campaign literature all along.

Speaking at a sparsely attended outdoor event, Cain stood before the stately Michigan Central Station in downtown Detroit, where the unemployment levels are among the highest in the country, to announce his proposal to create "opportunity zones" in America's inner cities. His announcement came just days after the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center in Washington released a study of the "9-9-9" plan that concluded the plan would increase taxes by more than 900 percent on U.S. households earning between $10,000 and $20,000 annually.

Accusing his rivals and critics of having never read his plan all the way through, Cain then used language about the plan never heard before - and sure to raise questions about whether his economic proposals now lack the simplicity that once appeared their central virtue.

"If you're at or below the poverty level, your plan isn't ‘9-9-9,'" Cain said, with economic adviser Rich Lowrie and other supporters flanking him. "It's ‘9-zero-9.' Say ‘Amen,' y'all! In other words, if you are at or below the poverty level based upon family size, because there's a different number for each one, then you don't pay that middle ‘9' tax on your income. This is how we help the poor."