We have huge comsumption in the USA and falling production. That needs to change and taxing consumption is a fine start. It also will tends to spread the pain of paying for government to people the people that drive up the cost of government but NEVER paid for government (non-producers) so I think it is fairer that an income tax.
For a NRST to be fair, all individuals would pay proportionately based on their consumption. Do you think earned income tax credit recipients (the new welfare) aren't going to whine and scream when they loose their tax credit? Do you think low income taxpayers currently exempt from paying any tax won't do the same? Do you think politicians will ignore these screams and tax them fairly. I don't! Now you've either got sales tax exemptions, sales tax refunds or a new income tax on high (as yet to be defined) earning taxpayers. This will reintroduce compliance requirements and tax preparers. You can throw your fairness right out the window. Or you can say, "yea but it won't be me" but we can't even be certain about that.
I'm not saying our current system can't be improved upon. I'm just saying that waving a wand to change the income tax to a sales tax isn't the panacea everyone dreams it to be.