On a (perhaps) related issue, I have always had a nagging concern about how the tax system has turned employers and retailers into tax collectors for the government. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if employers, for example, were not forced into the role of tax collector, and the government simply sent everyone a tax bill on January 31st, payable on April 15th, based on their reported income. My guess is that most people would be shocked to see, in a lump sum, what their tax burden really is, and then think about how not to pay the bill.
You know, as soon as government demands to know exactly what you’ve earned, you really don’t have a Fourth Amendment any more.
We have to have taxes to pay for the legitimate tasks we have appointed to government.
The least intrusive, most efficient, simplest means of collecting it is a retail sales tax.