Totally specious argument. He reduces 6 taxes to three. Tell me, what now prevents the jackasses in DC from raising the payroll tax to 25%, the Cap gains to 30%, the income tax brackets by 50%, and communications excise tax to 20%, Medicare to 15%, and the corporate rate to 41.95%?
He does not turn 6 taxes to three. He institutes a new tax and lowers some other tax rates. Unless he can get through a constitutional amendment barring some taxes all he has done is lowered the rate of some taxes to zero. That rate can just as easily be raised when the Dims get back in power.
For whatever reason the American public have not stood for a broad national sales tax. If Cain were to open that door with out barring the door other taxes, he is just a taxer in my view.
As for Laffer, the argument has never been economic here. Everyone knows the Cain plan would be good for the economy IF instituted as he wishes, ie 9-9-9. The issue is political economy or public choice. Is it smart to give the Dims another tax to raise that they have not been able to enact previously. Or put another way is it smart to follow the European model of taxation of having national broad sales [VAT] tax along with a national income tax.
In this respect Cain is very much like Obama. Cain is seeking to get the US to follow the European model of taxation as Obama has sought to get the US to follow the European model of government expenditure and regulation. The Dims love the idea of the European model of taxation of course and plan to get the rates to European levels asap upon regaining power.