[Technogeeb]

The key is whether or not you want an Retail tax or one of the versions of income tax.

Obviously, I would prefer a retail tax. But not with the redistribution mechanism. That is so obviously flawed that I would prefer even the current abomination of a tax code over it.

Unfortunately that is not the politically viable choice before us at this to, the future perhaps but not at this time.

Why not? What difference does it make to a "moderate" whether or not food, clothing, and shelter are merely "tax free" or are offset by a "prebate/rebate" system? If the real reason is just to offset the tax on "necessities", why not simply make them tax free in the first place and eliminate the bureaucracy (and it's potential for abuse by its mere existence)?

The Family Consumption Allowence(FCA) is a recognition not taxing that which is most precious

If the objective is to not tax necessities, then why not simply not tax those items in the first place? The existence of such a system (and the associated bureaucracy, which would have a scope just as wide as that of the IRS, touching the lives of every American citizen) seems to be a fundamental flaw in what is otherwise a simple, effective (and desirable) mechanism of taxation.

[ancient_geezer]

If the real reason is just to offset the tax on "necessities", why not simply make them tax free in the first place

If the objective is to not tax necessities, then why not simply not tax those items in the first place?

Who gets to define necessity for you?

The FCA mechanism allows you the individual to define your necessity by your situation and actual purchases. Exempting particular goods leaves the choice to the government via lobbyists pushing advantage for their client's particular "necessity."

Personally I prefer to make the choice of what constitutes necessity by what I actually purchase than by what Politicians or worse bureaucrats by arbitrary regulation choose to allow for "tax free" purchase.

The existence of such a system (and the associated bureaucracy, which would have a scope just as wide as that of the IRS

The bureaucracy and data already exists with no addition to scope, and without the IRS. The Social Security Administration, where the legislation places that responsibility of receiving application for the FCA in accord with household size measured by number of legal residents in the household.

I fail to see any new, and infact a reduction in bureaucracy under the FCA mechanism of the NRST. Making specific items exempt instead of FCA, does nothing to change the bureaucracy required whatsoever. Exempting particular good through political processes does ,however, assure that you'll be paying taxes on things that you personally consider a necessity in your particular situtation.