[Dimples]

Oh, yeah. The question is: just how big is the planning industry? "I don't know, but it's really big!" does little to inspire confidence in your assessment and even less to help figure out whether it makes a big enough difference to chance a wholesale upheaval of the economy.

The source often cited by the FairTax folks, Payne, suggests that it's really not all that big (in GDP terms.)

[rolling_stone]

To answer your questions (and a few others):

No I do not believe our current tax system is fair; and no, I do not believe our current tax system is simple.

Do you want to change it?

I believe the "power" lies with those who control the purse strings. I believe that the purse is the Federal budget. I believe that the purse is obscenely large regardless of the method of tax collection. So I guess I believe that the "power" lies with Congress, regardless of the method of collection.

Do you see any power in the ability of people to stop spending with aNRST in order to get the govt to cut back on spending>

I believe that the proposed FairTax makes some promises it cannot deliver. I believe it has several good aspects that are worthy of serious consideration; I believe it has others that are seriously flawed.

What are the "serious flaws"?

What do I suggest? well for starters I'd suggest getting realistic about the flaws of the FairTax. Then, maybe, we can talk about other possibilities.

Your perceived flaws apparently disagree with others thus the discussions.

Oh, yeah. The question is: just how big is the planning industry? "I don't know, but it's really big!" does little to inspire confidence in your assessment and even less to help figure out whether it makes a big enough difference to chance a wholesale upheaval of the economy. The source often cited by the FairTax folks, Payne, suggests that it's really not all that big (in GDP terms.)

Cost of tax planning under the current system is a small part of its "flaws". Far larger problems are the fact that it raised product prices for exports and not imports...a NRST would help our exports and allow taxes to be collected from imports...Pretty substantial benefit if you ask me. Personal Privacy is another. Simplicity and fairness count for a lot in my book, as a tax system must be fair to be effective.I'd like to be able to decide how I should save or spend my money without government influence and social engineering. Keep the government out of my bedroom and my financial decisions...