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You don’t see that the power to literally tax our elective purchasing decisions grants government power to control our lives?
It would change the direct source of the funds, but maintain the present ability to influence our decisions.
There are many other things deeply wrong with a federal sales tax that would take writing a textbook to convey them.
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BTW, just heard Rush confuse the AMT with the EITC.......he lost a key economic writer a few years ago....hurting him. This is awful mistake.
It’s much easier to influence someone’s behavior by taxing their purchases than it is by taxing their income. It’s much easier for a person to choose to spend less than it is for them to choose to earn less. Taxation disincentivizes behavior, but we would far likelier to disincentivize spending than we would be to disincentivize earning income. Taxation should have as little influence on people’s behavior as possible, so an income tax is preferable to a sales tax.
Tithes come from the bible and were obviously based on income. It’s hard to imagine a biblical sales tax. Tithes make sense because they’re more or less directly based on your ability to pay taxes (other than allowances for how many children you might have to support). How much stuff you buy is a much weaker indicator of your ability to pay taxes.