Pay for it with a gas tax or national sales tax.
You simply pay a percentage of the cost when you purchase an item for your use. No IRS at all based on income. No government intrusion into your income, but only intrusion into what sales tax was collected when you sold a good or service to someone else.
So, a house painter pays for all of his tools, vehicles, clothing, etc. None of it is tax deductible. But when he paints a house for $1000, he charges a certain percentage tax rate - lets say 15% - and collects an additional %150, which he pays directly to the government.
It will never happen, of course. The number of accountants, attorneys, and entire tax departments of large to medium sized companies would be suddenly out of work. i.e. it would destroy our economy.
But a guy can dream.
“You simply pay a percentage of the cost when you purchase an item for your use. No IRS at all based on income. No government intrusion into your income, but only intrusion into what sales tax was collected when you sold a good or service to someone else.”
That no longer works because sales are world-wide now. If you tax one country people will shop in another.
Transitioning to such a system would be great for those in debt, but horrible for those who have savings. All the money saved from a taxed income would now get taxed as it is spent.
Correct, it is a use tax, those people who drive around all day doing nothing pay as well.