[NeoCaveman]

VAT scares me but NRST sounds like a good replacement for the IRS.

[Drango]

I'll believe it when I see it...

[dc-zoo]

That should get about 99% of the undecided and 50% of the democrats! What a great idea.

[TomServo]

I can get behind this. Of course, it could just be another carrot.

[Lady GOP]

Yeeeee haaaaa...!

(All your Senate are belong to us!)

Ha!

[Lunatic Fringe]

It will NEVER happen. The tax lawyer lobby is too strong.

[Sen Jack S. Fogbound]

Like Drango said, I'll believe when I see it. But in realizing the load of complying with tax laws as it is, the cost to the economy is about $108 Billion! Plus the inefficiency within the system!

[wagglebee]

This would be great, but I don't think it will happen. The accountants and attorneys make too much money as a result of a complex tax system.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

Yes! If Bush can pull off eliminating the IRS he will top my list of the greatest presidents.

[demkicker]

Just as long as they don't trade one shell game in for another I'll happily jump onboard. It needs to be black & white, cut & dried for everybody. It'll need to be fair too for small businesses and corporations.

[EGPWS]

"Pushing reform legislation will be difficult.

Are you not a legislature in a position of power?

If it will be difficult, then it is YOUR job to make it not so difficult!

Earn your wages!!!!

[combat_boots]

Jaw-dropping, pure awe. Equality in taxation. Make it so.

[shrinkermd]

It would take a Constitutional amendment to avert having both VAT and a personal income tax. Usually, if Europe is a guide, what happens when you have a VAT you get promises but the personal and corporate income taxes continue.

Further, egalitarians and the dynamic of envy will make not punishing the successful difficult.

[Betaille]

Nowhere in this story does it say that Bush supports getting rid of the income tax. Drudge is really scraping this time.

[Happy2BMe]

A BUMP to END THE IRS! - ping.

[independentmind]

If you own property, stock, or, say, one hundred acres of farmland and tax time is approaching, you don’t want to make a mistake, so you’re almost obliged to go to a certified public accountant, tax preparer, or tax attorney to help you file a correct return. That costs a lot of money. Now multiply the amount you have to pay by the total number of people who are in the same boat. You can’t. No one can because precise numbers don’t exist. But we can stipulate that we’re talking about a huge amount. Now consider that a flat tax, national sales tax, or VAT would not only eliminate the need to do this, it could also eliminate the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) itself and make the process of paying taxes much easier."

This is the second article today that I've read in which Bush or his campaign have attacked accountants. Given the performance of Big 5 (or 4) firms over the last few years, it's probably a winning strategy. Lawyers, however, are the real plague of our society.

[swilhelm73]

If Bush does make this a campaign promise he has just assured himself re-election.

Of course how he handles then will determine the future of the Rep Party.

[chiller]

Holy Sh*T !

Hallelujah !

[HitmanLV]

I've heard this song & dance before.

[Savage Beast]

This alone is plenty of reason to support President Bush!

Of course, national security is another sufficient reason.

[Ruth A.]

A national sales tax would be such a powerful and liberating change for this nation. The dems will be fighting and kicking all the way, but this would bury sKerry and co.