"I’d rather see the IRS gone and a flat tax instead." The IRS would still have to be there to verify or audit returns for income so they would not be gone. The income tax started as a single rate and grew into the monstronsity that we have now. The FT is uncomplicated unless you try to make it complicated. One rate. New goods and services only. Paid at the register. Perfect? No. Cheating? Sure, but I doubt that it would be close to what we have now. My fundamental objection to the Income Tax is that it is fundamentally unamerican and unfair.
And opening up a new bureaucracy to handle the rebates every month is what?
Oh sure, it may begin smaller, but what bureaucracy hasn't grown when government is involved?
And on those rebates, what makes you think poor families can afford 30 cents on the dollar for their milk and groceries, while they wait on their monthly rebate checks?
What is the expense of sending out and managing those monthly rebate checks?
And, no cheating? There is no such thing as anything uncheatable.
It's a pipe dream at best.