[SAJ]

Well said!

I don't know how ''cool'' they sound, but, having lived under a VAT regime for a time (and, no, the income tax didn't go away when they passed VAT, either), they are in practice just about the ''uncoolest'' scheme imaginable. A pain in the a&& all round, and very easily raisable by Parliament, er, sorry, Congress to confiscatory levels.

[Conservative Infidel]

Exactly. A VAT would be OK if we bought our food directly from the farm, or our furniture directly from the factory, etc. However, most people do not realize how many times goods bought by consumers in this country have actually changed hands. Many commodities in this country actually change hands seven or eight times between manufacture and end-user. If you live in any city in Canada, chances are your VAT is about 27%.