[Technogeeb]

You leaving out the personal exemptions and standard deductions of the income tax, and EITC in your reconning?

Nope. They do make the tax code "unfair" to a certain extent (as if the confiscation of wealth by an entity that did not generate it could be anything else), but the only result of those is to limit the amount of money a person pays in taxes; and doesn't result in "getting back" money that they didn't pay in the first place (with the exception of the EITC, which still only offsets payroll taxes even if that isn't officially its objective). As much as I detest the current tax code, I think the "prebate" mechanism is even worse.

Problem is, a strong majority of Congress is rather idiotic in what they do

I can't really disagree on that point. :)

That shell game has to end. The NRST is a solid means to achieve that.

With that; I agree. My only opposition is with the "prebate" mechanism. It is fundamentally flawed, because it will establish a mechanism for income redistribution that can be used at the whim of any future leftist administration. Since the (supposed) desired purpose of this mechanism is merely to offset taxes paid on "necessities", then I believe that a far simpler mechanism (and more cost effective, since it eliminates the associated bureaucracy, a savings of several billion dollars by itself) would be to simply not collect a tax on things that are supposed to be "tax free".

[ancient_geezer]

Since the (supposed) desired purpose of this mechanism is merely to offset taxes paid on "necessities",

Merely to offset, is not true. The FCA helps prevent a class of citizen from not paying any tax at all, by assuring everyone pays the same tax rate on all the retail goods and services they purchase.

Exemption of payment of a tax creates tax privileged groups as readily under a retail sales tax as under a graduated income tax.

FCA assures the basics as determined by the citizen are covered. But all products remain taxed for all citizens regardless of personal circumstance. All citizens remain intimately cognizant of cost of government in their daily lives, from the poorest to the richest, from those who receive much from government to those who receive none. They all share in the payment of tax due at the retail register.

It is only in knowledge that we can exercise vigilence and hold government accountable. Everyone must participate in the tax system even the poorest among us.

Argue to get rid of the FCA, and I could agree as a matter of principle. Don't argue that we must relieve groups of folks from participation which the exemption of a broadrange of "necessity" goods and services would create.