[Gabz]

As far as I can tell, people like you and me who actually think before we spend are rare.

I'm not so sure that is true. Most folks I know do a lot of thinking before spending. There are times when my husband actually thinks I think TOO much before spending.

And we probably already only buy what we think is worthwhile based on a VERY different scale than the rest of the nation, so our spending habits probably won't change all that dramaticaly.

That I agree with almost totally. From the way I am understanding the idea of this, my spending would probably increase a bit because I would only have to wait 2 pay periods instead of 3 or 4 to buy that new sofa I saw last month (just an example)

[RobRoy]

>>From the way I am understanding the idea of this, my spending would probably increase a bit because I would only have to wait 2 pay periods instead of 3 or 4 to buy that new sofa I saw last month (just an example)<<

Except the $500 sofa would probably now be, after taxes, closer to $800 to $900. And your $2 gas over those weeks was $3.30. And your Latte was $4.25 after taxes instead of $2.74. Of course, if you cut out the Latte and drive less... Then we fall into the point I was trying to make.

Oh, and the sofa is made in China while the people that work at the starbucks, which closed due to the lack of business of people saving to buy a sofa, are now displaced american workers.

People wouold be incented to save up for durable goods which, more and more, are manufactured outside the US.

[ArGee]

While I do belive that, overall, a sales tax has advantages we can not discount Robb's concern over the unintended consequence of reduced consumerism.

I still say that something simpler is a moral imperative just so those of us who are attempting to follow the law don't have to regularly worry that we have violated it.

Shalom.