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Don't you think that your statement (which I'm not necessarily arguing against) is just a statement that supports the fact that the cost of government is already more than the citizens are willing to bear.

Not at all. Nobody is going broke paying for smokes in NYC. Even those outrageous taxes aren't enormous from a taxpayer's perspective in total dollar terms. They are just relatively easy to evade and there is very little risk of prosecution. Enforcing sales taxes at 30% will take far more agents than we have with the IRS.

How could it be possible that the revenue nuetral NRST becomes an unbearable burden when the cost is brought to light?

Again, it's not an unbearable burden; just one very easy to evade.

Could it be that with the current structure the politicians can continue to expand their control out of the sight of the citizens?

It's pretty easy to see when your withholding is increased. Back in the 70's the pols figured out a way to spend more without raising taxes: Inflate the money supply and blame greedy businesses for raising prices. We have to remain watchful no matter how they raise funds.

How do you propose reducing the size of the government, to a level that the citizens are willing to bear, while still keeping the cost hidden from the citizens? Do you have an alternative?

Yes I do. STOP UNNECESSARY SPENDING!! There are certainly tax reform steps that are desperately needed -- reduction of the insanely high corporate tax rate for starters (which is among the highest in the world), but the real problem is out-of-control spending, not how we decide to pay for it.

"Not at all. Nobody is going broke paying for smokes in NYC. Even those outrageous taxes aren't enormous from a taxpayer's perspective in total dollar terms."

Are you honestly claiming that $7 per pack cost for cigs is not outragous in the consumer's mind?

"Again, it's not an unbearable burden; just one very easy to evade."

If it is not unbearable, why would evasion take place? Why do so many people bear the state sales taxes?

"It's pretty easy to see when your withholding is increased."

For you and I, but how about the citizen that doesn't care to educate themselves? How about those that consider their tax return to be a windfall? How about the 49% that pay 0% in fed taxes?

"Yes I do. STOP UNNECESSARY SPENDING!!"

I don't disagree. However, why would a politician stop spending when they can use the current code to buy votes. They steal from the productive to give to the unproductive. They continually expand the ranks of the untaxed and increase the rate of taxation on the most productive. How can this be stopped without forcing the burden to be carried and in plain view of everyone?

You compare cigarette taxes with a NRST. First, the NRST is a tax on all goods and services at the retail level. That's not the same as taxes on one specific item which is addictive to begin with. Second, you would need legions of black marketeers to have any appreciable effect on the the system as a whole. The black market would be quite easy to detect in most instances since it will exist mainly for big ticket items. Third, I don't see GM and all their dealers (for example) averting their eyes while a black market takes place with their inventory. Too much would be at stake in terms of penalies under the law.

Fourth, as I have said many times on these threads, Americans like to spend money and when they have more of it under the NRST they will spend it. Americans have to have their newest gadget.