Why give them another avenue? Especially one that involves food and clothes. If I am going to be forced to give up all my write offs, the trade had better work in my favor. I don’t see how this one does.
Even with the sales tax, the middle class (read: those who don’t benefit from welfare/corporate welfare/tax loopholes) will be paying less than with the current tax code. Also, I highly doubt even the Dims would be stupid enough to raise the sales tax. For one, it would destroy their welfare collecting base, and turn any of the middle class that wasn’t already against them against them. So either they could not touch the tax, or they can touch it, die as a party for a generation, and it will be returned to normal after the next election.