Probably a sales tax which would be even worse.
The only way out of this mess is for the government to earn its keep through voluntary donations. Nobody thinks the government knows how to spend money effectively so that’s why it has to force people.
Voluntary donations? That’s nuts! Nobody would pay a dime. Here in Texas we have no state income tax and, instead, have a sales tax + property taxes. Sales taxes are much better than paying an income tax, as most of those “income” taxes and business taxes get placed into the price of the products we buy anyway. If you eliminate the current tax code and just move to a pure sales tax, the cost of products will go down and we’ll be paying a lot less than we do now even in states where we already have a sales tax. On top of that, because everyone will be getting taxed equally, and taxes will be so low, tax revenue will actually increase a great deal. Products will not be taxed multiple times, as the taxes will only apply on the retail level to the consumer.
This is a great alternative and a real solution to our problems. We’d instantly be the most business and tax friendly government on the planet.
They tell everyone twice what taxes are to be collected.
It doesn't say income and anything beyond duties, imposts and excises is unconstitutional in my understanding of things.
A few honorable mentions...
Alcohol - taxed
Tobacco - taxed
Firearms - taxed
All taxed goods.
Ayn Rand came up with an interesting variant on that idea: fund the government solely through a voluntary contract-enforcement fee. If you want your contracts to be enforced by the government, you pay the fee. If you'd rather be on your own, you don't pay the fee. Contracts upon which no fee was paid would occupy the same legal status as drug deals today: if you get screwed, you're sorry and out of luck.
Needless to say, she assumed that a large majority of signatories would pay the fee. (Consider the total dollar volume of contracts today: each derivative, for example, is a contract.) What's interesting about this system is that it leaves room for anarchists.
They are right. The government is an outlaw. UIt is nothing but a bunch of tugs and thieves.