[Soul Seeker]

If this is a trial balloon from members of the administration, using Hastert as a surrogate, I have only one thing to say to President Bush-

BRING IT ON!!

National Sales or flat tax I could live with. Literally.

If G.W. truly committed to this it COULD pass. It would be a fight but he has a shot. He'd need to really drive it home on the stump, though, or it would move nowhere. Just as he did when he fought for the tax cuts.

[ClancyJ]

This is just the "seed planting" of the idea. It will be tossed back and forth, yelled over, stewed about, but the seed is being planted and that is an important step.

[undeniable logic]

I know I will get some hell for saying this, and let me start by saying that I am a huge supporter of a retail tax instead of an income tax, BUT it will never happen until the following kinks are worked out.

1. Municipal Bonds - This is a $2 trillion market and everyone who owns these bonds has accepted a lower coupon rate in return for no income tax on the coupons. If income tax is eliminated, everyone who owns municipal bonds gets hosed.

2. Savings - Anyone with semi-substantial savings has already paid a high income tax on their earnings before the money was saved. Switching to a NRST would put these savings in an identical category to new untaxed earnings, and the savings will be taxed at the rate reflected by the new tax system. This is a huge double tax.

I am sure there are others, but there is no doubt in my mind that without addressing these two issues at a minimum, the NRST will never happen. The switch benefits young people, like myself, and hurts those at or near retirement - unless some sort of compensation is included. My dad and I have almost identical views in politics; I am a huge supporter of NRST and he is scared sh!tless by it, for the two reasons I have detailed.