There will always be creative people who break the law, but most people do not. Having a sales tax would be enormously beneficial to anybody with an income above poverty level (heck, in Neal’s plan, even these people get a reimbursement) and would require record-keeping only on your actual income. That is, if you wanted to qualify for the reimbursement.
There’s never going to be a system that totally eliminates lawbreakers, but I’d say, the simpler the system, the less possibility of manipulation and fraud.
One thing that makes me mad about my taxes is that I know all sorts of people much richer than I who manage to avoid paying a dime and boast about it at dinner parties. But a simpler system simply takes it out of them at the register, just as it would do for any of us.
Bingo!
You don't keep up with what you spend or what you make.
The only thing you have to keep up with to get the prebate is how many are in your family, and apply for it. You get the amount of money at the start of every month, that if you are at poverty level that you would owe in sales taxes, if you spent every thing you earned each month.
Only new stuff is taxed. Things you buy at garage sales and thrift stores are not taxed.
No sales tax on used houses or cars.