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...In a sad voice, Jefferson says, "When we wrote the Constitution, all of us knew history. We knew that great civilizations began to decline when they introduced direct taxation..

I love the article, but can anyone tell me of a successful society that doesn't utilize direct taxation?

but can anyone tell me of a successful society that doesn't utilize direct taxation?

I am sorry, but I do not have knowledge of international economics other than most countries do have some sort of a direct tax system. The rates of corporate taxes is usually far greater in proportion to that of individual income taxes, and in some countries that aspect is disproportianate. I would be curious, too, but I do think the question belies the point of the founding of THIS country.

mafree, what you have to understand is that, historically, government is the enemy of the people, particularly [especially?) when the issue is taxation.

The history of the world is replete with struggles between the people's desire to be FRee and a (not necessarily their own) government's desire to control all aspects of people's lives.

You see this phenomenon acted out daily in local, county, state and federal governments all over the world.

Given this situation, unless the people truly control their own government, the government is not likely to endorse or allow any sort of tax system which empowers the people.

Governments support tax systems which empower government.

The major countries of the world have direct taxation because direct taxation facilitates maximum control of the people.

There are some notable exceptions: Russia recently adopted a low rate flat income tax system; Ireland has annoyed the Socialist planners in Europe by adopting a low rate tax system; Hong Kong has a low-rate flat income tax system; Monaco has a gambling tax and a sales tax, and many small countries and principalities (viz, Belize, The Caiman Islands, etc.) are known as "tax havens" because they have low tax rates.

These so called "tax havens," BTW, are under increasing attack by the high tax states (mostly European) to "harmonize" (i.e., dramatically increase) their tax rates with the high tax countries. This saga is being played out in an arena of trade, political and financial blackmail out of view of most of the world.

My point is that We the People are going to have to wage political war with our own government if we want to change to a tax system which will maximize individual FReedom and Libery, economic growth and equality of treatment under the law.

The National Retail Sales Tax (NRST) will do that very nicely, TYVM. At the same time, the NRST will empower We the People and disempower government at all levels.

Can't ask for much more than that, can we?

“I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.”
[Thomas Jefferson, letter to Benjamin Rush, 1800.]

Click here to help us scrap the Code, scrap the IRS and abolish the VLWC!

We will never be a truly FRee people so long as we have the income tax and the IRS.