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It would be a 30 percent sales tax on retail purchases. Since 30 cents is 23 percent of $1.30 (the amount you would pay on a $1 item), a 30 percent FairTax would cost you about 23 percent of your consumption.
This is the main problem with the Fair Tax--the ability to explain it and sell it to the Average Joe. The Fair Tax "user interface" is a debacle.

They could probably do a better job of explaining it. The whole "It's really a 30% tax" debate is stupid, because it turns out to be the exact same amount (23%) under the current system or the FairTax...

• Say someone makes $10,000/year. In the current set-up, 23% is taken out of that person's paycheck, equaling $2300 and leaving them $7700.

• Under the FairTax, same person making $10,000/yr would be able to buy $7700 worth of goods, paying $2300 in taxes.

Critics like to claim it's a 30% tax because 30% of $7700 is $2300. But in comparing apples to apples, it's really a 23% tax on your INCOME in either scenario.

Someone making $10,000/yr likely pays NO IT, only the FICA and MC. If they live at home with their folks and put the money in investments, they pay way less than 23%.

Under FT, they pay nothing. Hence all those who live at home in the basement are strongly attracted to the FT (along with drug dealers and others who don't want to report their income).

But keep in mind under the FairTax (unlike with the income tax) that not everything is taxed so that the effective tax rate is much lower than even the 23%.