While I strongly prefer the NRST, I wouldn't stomp my feet and pout over a flat tax, either.
All I want is LESS TAXATION and LESS COMPLICATED TAXATION!!
Less taxation is highly unlikely. What the government taketh you almost NEVER see it giveth back.
On the other hand, less complicated taxaction is not only an economic issue, it is a moral issue.
Every year (so far) I sit down in February and start filling out my (computerized) tax forms. I do my best to answer all the questions correctly and honestly. I review the results and I prepare my filing. Then I send it off wondering if I just accidentally broke a tax law and what the penalties will be.
Any system that can turn someone who intends to obey the law into an accidental criminal is an immoral system. It must be changed so that someone who is intending to comply with the law can do so easily and without concern.
And, considering that the IRS was the only agency that could take down Al Capone, it's not just concern, it's fear.
Shalom.
The reason I prefer the NRST over the flat tax is that the NRST GETS THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF OUR PERSONAL BUSINESS! Why do we think it's the divine right of government to know every little scrap of income we have? And to have the authority to tax us on it? Why do we unquestioningly comply with this? The only beneficiaries are the people who can legally pick your pocket (or outright rob you) through the current tax code.