You are right. The system we have now that allows those with the most money to buy their way out of paying income taxes by renting congressmen and double and triple taxation from federal and state and local income tax and corporate tax and SS tax and medicare tax and capitol gains tax and then when we die, death taxes, not to mention the BILLIONS of dollars we spend just trying to comly with the 50,000 pages of tax laws is SOOOOOO much better than one single tax paid when an item is purchased new by the end user.
Then be honest about what it offers. Don't give me fantasy analysis to sell me the plan.
What seems clear to me is that the current system sucks big time. It's also clear that when "reform" gets talked, the truth is that all they're talking about is fiddling with numbers, deductions, rules.
It is absolutely true that an entire library is necessary to keep track of our current tax law; it is absolutely true that expert accountants preparing the same return cannot arrive at the same number; it is absolutely true that the code is on the side of those with a bank of lawyers; it is absolutely true that the code is a tool that government uses to bludgeon people it finds distasteful; it is absolutely true that the code is corrupt.
Now, it seems that I'm on the side of anyone who's talking about changing a system, not just "reforming" a line here and a line there.
That is pretty much limited to the NRST and the flat taxers.