I wonder if anyone has thought about the "Black Market" of consumer goods that may evade taxation. For example, farmers selling foodstuffs at a fleamarket or a skilled craftsman such as a chainsaw artist selling their products without some sort of governmental safety net in place to collect its taxes. It sounds ok in theory (and i suppose you need a way to tax the illegals) but i'm not all about letting the fed's tax me being that it is unconstitutional to begin with.
It sounds ok in theory (and i suppose you need a way to tax the illegals) but i'm not all about letting the fed's tax me being that it is unconstitutional to begin with.
So the farmer's thought in Western Pennsylvania as regards their whiskey stills.
There were folk who had their properties sold out from under them over simple excises, such as the still tax levied on farmers which led to a rebellion over such, squashed by President Washington leading federal troops in to put the insurrection down.
I happen to have some knowledge of that one as a consequence of one of farmers taken by those federal troops was a many great grandpappy with an empty unused still that he figured he wasn't about to pay not tax on. At that time alcohol was money for these folks, cash was unheard of thus property was at risk without the benefit of apportionment to put the state between the Feds and the individuals at risk.
George Washington's Proclamation Whiskey Rebellion August 7, 1794:
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/presiden/proclamations/gwproc03.htmGeorge Washington's address on October 20 1794
to General Lee at Bedford, PA
Washington LED Federal troops into Western Pennsylvania enforcing the Federal tax on UNUSED AND OUT OF PRODUCTION private stills owned by individual citizens and farmers as appliances of the land(i.e. private non-commercial Real Property) in Pennsylvania.
United States Statutes at Large, 1st Congress, 3rd Session Ch 15, 1791,
page 202, 204 Sec 21-24;
Sec. 21. And be it further enacted, That upon stills which after the last day of June Next, shall be employed in distilling spirits from materials of the growth or production of the United States, in any other place than a city, taown or village, there shall be paid for the use of the United States, the yearly duty of sixty cents for every gallon, English wine-measure, of the capacity or content of each and every such still, including the head thereof.
Sec. 22. And be it further encted, That the evidence of the employment of the said stills shall be, their being erected in stone, brick or some other manner whereby they shall be in a condition to be worked.
Sec. 23. And be it futher enacted, That the said duties o stills shall be collected under the management of the supervisor in each district, who shall appoint and assing proper officers for the surveys of the said stills and the admeasurement thereof, and the collectio of the duties thereupon; and the said duties shall be paid half yearly wihtin the firest fifteen days of January and July, upon demand of the proprietor or proprietors of each still, at his, her or their dwelling, by the proper officer charged with the survey thereof: And in case of refusal or neglect, to pay , the amount of the duties so refused or neglected to be paid may either be recovered with costs of suit in an actoin of debt in the name of the supervisor of the district, within which such refusal shall happen, for the use of the United States, or may be levied by distress and sale of goods of the person or persons refusing or neglecting to pay, rendering the overplus(if any there be after payment of the said amount and the charges of distress and sale) the the said person or persons.
It was interesting to note that you mentioned taxing the illegals. Ironically, while many of them (and their employers) now escape taxes by working off the books, the fair tax would subject them to full taxation on all new items purchased while denying them the monthly rebate since they can not qualify for valid social security numbers. This would have the unintended consequence of eliminating much of their competitive advantage in the labor market.