[vpintheak]

Either the retail tax or flat tax would be better than the current system.

[Quest10]

I'm not so keen on the idea of a national sales tax, but I am a heavy supporter of any sort of simplified flat tax system. Like Steve Forbes said, one should be able to pay their taxes using an index card and nothing more.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

And congress just today proved how simple it can be to modify tax law. They passed a law making it legal to apply contributions to the tsunami relief made this month applicable to tax year '04.

[rwrcpa1]

For anyone who doesn't know the details of Rep. Linder's sales tax proposal, aka the Fair Tax, you can get a thumbnail sketch of it here: http://www.fairtaxvolunteer.org/smart/sketch.html

Please don't make generalized negative comments about the Fair Tax without knowing something about it.

[Arizona Carolyn]

NRST or keep what we have is my position.

[Reuben Hick]

Either the retail tax or flat tax would be better than the current system.

Let's see, a "retail tax" hits consumers in the wallet. Whereas a "retail light" aka "Tariff" would actually accomplish much the same without hurting businesses whose products would be taxed at double digit rates.

Now a "flat tax" keeps the IRS employed, and will probably stay flat for as long as Reagan's TEFRA maintained only a few tax brackets (unlike now where so many have returned).

A flat tax would have fewer negative effects, whereas a retail tax would rock the nation with profound levels of debt followed immedietly by factory shutdowns as everyone and their brother would be buying up as much stuff at today's pretax price using tomorrow's tax free income to pay it off. AFter everyone does their big ticket shopping, for items they normally would have purchased months later, inventories will fill up because for quite some time people won't be buying anything new.

Also, without a Constitutional Amendment banning a resurrection of the income tax, we would, as soon as the Republicans finish causing people to want to vote for anybody other than Republicans (which leaves Demoncats) we would have a massive retail tax AND an income tax.

[Uncle Vlad]

Either the retail tax or flat tax would be better than the current system.

I agree. I think it's about time that the pros and cons of both of these systems were discussed in Congress by grown-ups, instead of demagogued away by a group of wild-eyed liberals.