What do you think of a national retail sales tax?

[Dis]

OK I don't necessarily support this. I just happened to hear about this, and was wondering if this is even feasible.

I'm sure this website is from some whack job, but here is the link

http://www.geocities.com/cmcofer/ftax.html

Here is what this tax will do (from the website):

OK, let's review: The FairTax Will:

• Repeal the federal income tax.

• Repeal all payroll taxes including taxes on Social Security and Medicare.


• Protect and ensure the funding of Social Security and Medicare.

• Repeal corporate and self-employment taxes.

• Repeal all estate, gift, and capital gains taxes.

• Taxation of income will be unconstitutional upon repeal of the 16th amendment.

• Allow you to keep 100% of your paycheck, pension, and social security payment.
View your Paycheck! under the FairTax plan.

• Bring about a reduction of the cost of new goods and services by 20% to 30%.

• Raise the same amount of money for the federal government, i.e. "revenue neutral."

• Eliminate the Internal Revenue Service.
- No more taxpayer time wasted on filling out cumbersome IRS forms.
- No more IRS audits of individual taxpayers, no more IRS intimidation,
no more levies, liens or home seizures by the IRS.

• Substantially reduce tax rates for lower and middle-income Americans.
- Income Tax vs FairTax: MONEY AHEAD!

• Allow families to save more for home ownership, education and retirement.

• Provide a universal rebate equal to the sales tax paid on essential goods and
services to ensure that no American pays taxes on necessities. REBATE!
Important! The Rebate is based only on family size (not on Income).


All Americans will receive the Rebate, in advance, monthly! Click REBATE!
above for more info. All Seniors, including those on Social Security, will be
pleased to note that they will receive the Rebate, too.

• Apply a 23% tax-inclusive rate sales tax on the purchase of New Goods and
services in the U.S. Note: Used Goods and Education costs (ex: College Tuition)
are not subject to the FairTax.

• Make American products more competitive at home and overseas. Encourage
job-creation in America. Help reduce America's Trade Deficit.

• Stimulate economic growth in the U.S. by a far greater amount than the
government's "tax-cuts" and "stimulus package" will ever do... and enable
the economy to continue to grow year-after-year.

[MikeH]

We've got one. And income tax.

[Dis]

yes but income tax is horrible in the U.S.

And there are so many exemptions. Why should a woman with no self control get all kinds of tax credits for having 20 kids? screw that.

[Urban Ranger]

You can't kill off other taxes just because you put in a sales tax, this is silly.

Canada got one too, the GST.

[The Mad Monk]

...and yet, that seems to be the direction the Bush administration is heading in.

[Asher]

They won't take away any taxes by adding the GST.

The Liberals got elected a decade ago on the promise of ridding us of the GST. It's still there.

[Jaguar]

Originally posted by Asher
They won't take away any taxes by adding the GST.

The Liberals got elected a decade ago on the promise of ridding us of the GST. It's still there.

You never give those Eastern liberals a break, do you?

I think that this idea sucks because it discourages spending.

[Urban Ranger]

The GST is a bit high at 7%. If they cut it they might stimulate the economy somewhat.

[Asher]

There was even talk of RAISING the GST last year.

[Berzerker]

• Make American products more competitive at home and overseas. Encourage
job-creation in America.

That is very important.

[Tingkai]

A bunch of idiot Hong Kong politicians want a sales tax here.

They figure if the government taxes everyone, including the poor and 16 million tourists a year, it will mean the rich won't have to pay more taxes.

The accountants love the idea because it means more paperwork, and that means more work for them.

[Tingkai]

I've never forgiven the Conservatives for inventing the GST.

Remember how the Conservatives kept saying that it would be revenue-neutral. It would just replace some existing taxes, they said. Turns out it brought in an additional couple of billion of taxes a year.

[MikeH]

Ideally I'd like to totally remove sales tax and raise all tax from incomes. That seems a lot fairer to me.

[Skanky Burns]

Originally posted by Urban Ranger
The GST is a bit high at 7%. If they cut it they might stimulate the economy somewhat.

Pffft.

10% in Australia.

[Asher]

Does Australia have provincial sales taxes in the ~10% range that get added on top of that?