[palmer]

The seller takes all the risks of selling at a tax free price to you. He doesn't know when it is worth your effort to turn him in for not remitting sales tax from your purchase of goods from him.

I have no idea if they're remitting although I suspect most are not or are unreporting. But in any case if I tell the VA authorities about my purchases, then I don't doubt the seller will have remitted enough to cover them. For your system to work, everyone would have to report all their purchases.

[Zon]

For your system to work, everyone would have to report all their purchases.

Wrong. The business is responsible for collecting the tax. The purchaser bears no responsibility for the actions of the business. States do a competent job of collecting sales tax and watching over it. The national retail sales tax (NRST) would be much the same.

[ancient_geezer]

For your system to work, everyone would have to report all their purchases.

Not at all. The only ones held liable for collection and remittence of the tax are sellers and they are required to save copies of reciepts issued for the goods they sell. It is up to the state tax authority to administer and enforce the povisions of the tax law and perform that level of audits and checks of operating businesses necessary to assure compliance.

Nowhere, is a final purchaser of goods to report anything at all.

For one selling retail, one of the requirements is to conform to the legal requirements thereof. If not then the risks are those you take on of your own will.

[longtermmemmory]

I don not like a national sales tax. It would amount to a tax on the internet. Since the tax is national then there is no cross state safe havens. Not good.

What happened to the flat tax?