[Mind-numbed Robot]

If you want to make taxpayers painfully aware of their tax burden, simply eliminate withholding and force Joe Taxpayer to write a monthly check ... rather than receive one.

Like many ideas on their face, brilliantly simple but impossible to impliment. It is similar to saying the secret to a happy life is to find happiness.

[Dimples]

I'm not missing that at all. I'm suggesting that despite having the cash in your hot little hands, you'll never know how much of it you actually spent on tax.

In addition, the monthly prebate check will offset perception of paying tax at all! (Hey, I didn't' pay any FairTax; I got a refund!)

Do you know how much sales tax you paid in North Carolina last year? Do you really think the average "I don't pay tax, I got a refund" guy is going to be able to figure it out?

Do you TRULY want people to feel the Tax Bite? Then simply eliminate withholding ... (of course tax revenues will tank, but that's another story.)

[Dimples]

Sorry, the above reply was not meant for you ... my bad, it was meant for Congressman Billybob.

[Dimples]

Eliminating withholding is no more impossible than passing the FairTax, it's probably a lot easier to do.

Even today, millions of taxpayers pay quarterly extimated tax payments ... no withholding. It's not that far a stretch to expand that population. Every April 15, millions more taxpayers write checks to cover their outstanding tax bill ... funds not withheld.

From an implementation standpoint moving to eliminate withholding is trivial compared to implementing the FairTax. And from a philosophical standpoint, I'd guess there would FAR greater agreement among taxpayers to lobby for withholding elimination, or to at least make withholing truly voluntary, that there currently is to lobby for the FairTax.