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Since the (supposed) desired purpose of this mechanism is merely to offset taxes paid on "necessities",

Merely to offset, is not true. The FCA helps prevent a class of citizen from not paying any tax at all, by assuring everyone pays the same tax rate on all the retail goods and services they purchase.

Exemption of payment of a tax creates tax privileged groups as readily under a retail sales tax as under a graduated income tax.

FCA assures the basics as determined by the citizen are covered. But all products remain taxed for all citizens regardless of personal circumstance. All citizens remain intimately cognizant of cost of government in their daily lives, from the poorest to the richest, from those who receive much from government to those who receive none. They all share in the payment of tax due at the retail register.

It is only in knowledge that we can exercise vigilence and hold government accountable. Everyone must participate in the tax system even the poorest among us.

Argue to get rid of the FCA, and I could agree as a matter of principle. Don't argue that we must relieve groups of folks from participation which the exemption of a broadrange of "necessity" goods and services would create.

Merely to offset, is not true. The FCA helps prevent a class of citizen from not paying any tax at all

On the contrary, it does the exact opposite. If a person is "paying" taxes using money they got from the government from their "prebate" check, the taxes being paid certainly isn't being paid by them. Eliminate the FCA portion, and a national retail sales tax would achieve your objective. The only people who would not pay taxes would be those who do not purchase anything. If "necessities" were excluded from taxation, the only people who would pay no taxes would be those who purchase only "necessities". But since under the "prebate" mechanism they would be getting this money back anyway, those same people wouldn't be paying taxes under either sytem (although they would be "going through the motions" of pretending to pay taxes; which is worse than simply not paying the taxes in the first place, since it creates what would otherwise be an unnecessary bureaucracy as well as sows the seeds for socialism).

FCA assures the basics as determined by the citizen are covered

Exactly. Socialism.

But all products remain taxed for all citizens regardless of personal circumstance

So you mean the purpose of the FCA is NOT to offset taxes paid on "necessities", but is instead a government payout to all citizens to cover the basic costs of living?

Argue to get rid of the FCA, and I could agree as a matter of principle

That's the only thing I am arguing. I certainly have no objections to a national sales tax. But the "prebate" system is socialism, pure and simple. It is a payout of money from the government treasury to individuals for no reason other than the existence of those individuals. They have done nothing (provided no product or service) to earn that money, so why is the government sending it to them?

Don't argue that we must relieve groups of folks from participation which the exemption of a broadrange of "necessity" goods and services would create

Here you are trying to solve a "problem" with a national sales tax that not only does not exist, but cannot exist. The retailer does not require one class to pay taxes while excluding another class of consumer from that obligation. If certain "necessities" are tax-free, then they are free to all consumers regardless of their personal wealth. No class of people are excluded from paying taxes, and any taxes that are paid under a national sales tax are ultimately voluntary (i.e., a consumer can simply not purchase the product if they feel the tax rate is excessive).

To somehow suggest that the government sending a check to every household in the U.S. (regardless of the amount of taxes that particular household paid in taxes) is NOT collectivism, while at the same time suggesting that there is something collectivist about not having a tax on some products (whether they are "necessities" or not) seems quite alien to me. A national sales tax would be a great thing. But the "prebate" mechanism is so evil that it would immediately offset any advantage a NRST would provide.