No, you are misrepresenting my point. I do not believe Fair Tax is a pipe dream. I believe it is just more of the same, another system that is going to be manipulated just like every other tax collection method. I am pointing out that the stated pillars of the reasons for adopting the fair tax are made of glass and easily broken.
MORE IMPORTANTLY, changing the tax collection method does not solve the problem we face today with 1) Congress spending more than it takes in and 2) Congress segmenting the People into different tax buckets and instituting class warfare via the tax code. To me, fixing those issues is far more important that changing how we collect taxes.
“MORE IMPORTANTLY, changing the tax collection method does not solve the problem we face today with
1) Congress spending more than it takes in”
Agreed - the FairTax does not address that problem
“and 2) Congress segmenting the People into different tax buckets and instituting class warfare via the tax code.”
Yes, it does, as long as the Fairtax is implemented as designed. I will concede that this is a tough thing to do, but that is why we need massive public pressure.
“To me, fixing those issues is far more important that changing how we collect taxes.”
However, you have left out a raft of other problems which the current tax code exacerbates and the FairTax addresses:
1. The federal budget deficit (to the extent that slower economic growth in addition to lack of spending restraint contributes to it)
2. the trade deficit
3. the ongoing increases in complexity of the current tax system and consequent increases in compliance costs
4. the crisis in SS & Medicare
5. Our extremely low savings rate