Again, answer the question.
What stops the current political class from doing that very thing under the existing tax code?
The same political and economic pressure that prevents the Congress from simply hiking tax rates when ever it feels like now, would apply to even a great extent in a 9-9-9 system.
Everyone pays so everyone knows any tax hike means they pay more. Under 9-9-9 the is no more illusion that someone else is paying for your "help" from the Government
What stops the current political class from doing that very thing under the existing tax code?
The face that the Republicans aren't going to raise income tax rates, as I said before.
Everyone pays so everyone knows any tax hike means they pay more. Under 9-9-9 the is no more illusion that someone else is paying for your "help" from the Government
BS. You're assuming that Republicans were stupid enough to vote in a sales tax in the first place. If congress decides one day to raise the "federal sales tax" two pennies on the dollar, a lot of folks won't notice. It's just a matter of who happens to be leading congress and who is president, as before with income taxes. Oddly enough, those rates have been going up and down over the years. What Republicans haven't yet to do is get rid of the alternative minimum tax. Sure, they can introduce new deductions and credits (welfare by other means) but name a time that they've gotten rid of a tax. As for the sales tax, look at the record of VATs in countries where it already exists. Not many examples of VATs being lowered, but plenty of examples of VATs giving politicians an excuse to spend even more recklessly.
WSJ: Europe's VAT Lessons Rates start low and increase, while income tax rates stay high.
Do you really want to give Nancy Pelosi what she wants?