Larry Middleton sat outside City Hall for nearly four hours Wednesday, wielding a sign that read, "The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money."
Middleton, along with about a thousand other dissenters, protested the Internal Revenue Service by grabbing the attention of passers-by and voicing their opposition.
Some signs were hoisted high by men and women. Others were propped up by toddlers in strollers.
"I like paying taxes," Middleton said, "but I like paying my fair share."
Roz Miller, county coordinator for the Alachua County Fair Tax Group, said Fair Tax supports a national sales tax in place of an income tax, which is not paid by everyone in the United States.
"Do you think a drug dealer's going to fill out a tax form and put 'occupation: drug dealer'?" she said. "A lot of money goes through those hands, and they all shop."
Miller said the sales tax should be about 22 percent, which would help generate revenue from those who don't pay taxes now.
"We are a nation of consumers," she said. "And everyone shops."
