IMHO...
VAT is a tax hidden from the taxpaying citizen as it is only seen by the taxpayer in the price of consumer goods. It therefore leaves room for politicians to pass the blame for high prices away from their VAT tax and to the business community, saying that they are inflating their prices higher than necessary to accomodate a VAT rate increase. By hidden, I mean a tax where it is not paid separately and directly by citizens. Such a tax would produce an enormous drag on the economy. Sales tax is the nearest thing we have to a tax that citizens see and directly pay. Don’t for get, an IRS abolished could certainly be brought back by a future Congress.
Taxes can be levied on wealth, income or consumption, and we have all three in various forms the U.S. Real Estate taxes are a tax on the value of one’s Real Estate holdings. Sales taxes tax consumption, income tax taxes income.
By taxing every which way, everyone winds up paying one tax or another, no matter how little; whether one is rich or poor, somewhere there is a tax one is paying, or is paying for goods and services where the producer of them is being taxed. The problem with many voters who don’t pay income tax or actually receive cash back is that they don’t see how they are paying other taxes which could be decreased if only their wonderful Congresscritters would stop spending.
The problem our illustrious (/sarc) Congress and Executive branch have is that they spend too much government money. While Congress could impose limits which would create an annual surplus, since the majority of Congressman desire reelection, and they see gov’t spending as key them getting reelected, it would seem unlikely to see limits being passed into law that do not contain loopholes.
It is probably only severe economic pain that will prompt voters to finally vote out those who are part of the Dem-Repub machinery and prompt citizen-politicians who will self-impose a term limit on themselves to run for office.
If the U.S. ever gets it’s act together and admits that it needs to get right with God AND starts producing government surpluses AND gets the union-communist idea back into the realm of the absurd in the popular mindset AND develops even a moderately strong spine about dropping the hammer on islam instead of curtseying to it, the U.S. economy would soar to heights that would last and be understoond and remembered for generations.
Anybody with pets, or kids, or common sense, knows that you reward what you want, and punish what you don’t want.
The present system punishes work, investment, savings, and takes away our freedom, liberty, and privacy.
Once more people get a chance to see Herman Cain, he will be able to beat anyone.
He supports the Fair tax, which = freedom and liberty and prosperity, and he can do it all without a teleprompter.
He is like Trump, with gravitas :) :)
Trump is a flip flopper who is out for Trump, Herman Cain is a conservative who wants to save the country he loves.
The whole current system is about POWER - there is so much POWER and MONEY at stake for the politicians and lobbyists, Rush says the Fair tax won’t happen with the current crowd in DC, and Boortz says it won’t happen until the people demand it.
IT IS TIME TO DEMAND IT!!!!!
Now that people are finally awake and paying attention, it is time to repeal the abomination of the 16th amendment, and return to liberty.
Easy here folks! We all know that a VAT sucks. Sybeckl was only laying out one point of view on the subject. I thought it was well thought out and logical. There are certainly other opinions but let’s not start sounding like those idiots over at DU or the Daily Kos who run around with their hair on fire shouting hysterically.
The thing that I like about FR is that folks here are for the most part able to present their points of view politely and logically. Lets try to keep it that way.