national sales tax

[jgruber]

Wudya think?


Scrap the tax code? Bush floats a national sales tax
On campaign trail, president appears open to a major shift, which Kerry promptly pans.
By Linda Feldmann | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
WASHINGTON – George W. Bush is known for liking bold, sometimes even risky, initiatives - ideas like sending a man to Mars, or revamping the US immigration system, or overthrowing the dictator of Iraq.
But is the president really ready to take on the American tax system? A comment Tuesday at a town-hall meeting in Florida has reignited the long-simmering debate in conservative circles over whether Washington should rethink the way it levies taxes.

When a supporter asked President Bush about scrapping the current tax code and replacing it with a national sales tax, he replied favorably: "I'm not exactly sure how big the national sales tax is going to have to be, but it's the kind of interesting idea that we ought to explore seriously."


http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0813/p03s01-uspo.html

[nathanielmark]

sales tax is a regressive tax... thus it is a bad tax. 

[jgruber]

sales tax is a regressive tax... thus it is a bad tax. 

It's 9 percent here and it is applied to food, clothing and other necessities.

Now that's regressive.

[jrhc1210]

Agreed. I'd only support a form of consumption tax if it made up for regression with exemptions.

[jgruber]

Agreed. I'd only support a form of consumption tax if it made up for regression with exemptions.

I saw something about new york tripled the tax on cigarettes.

[dsong02]

Agreed. I'd only support a form of consumption tax if it made up for regression with exemptions.

I saw something about new york tripled the tax on cigarettes.

is that why cigs here are 7.85?

[jgruber]

Yep and why smoking is down.

Agreed. I'd only support a form of consumption tax if it made up for regression with exemptions.

I saw something about new york tripled the tax on cigarettes.

is that why cigs here are 7.85?

[dsong02]

smoking is down because you cant smoke indoors anymore.  i doubt prices will keep people from smoking in new york.

Yep and why smoking is down.

Agreed. I'd only support a form of consumption tax if it made up for regression with exemptions.

I saw something about new york tripled the tax on cigarettes.

is that why cigs here are 7.85?

[jgruber]

All I know is what people tell me.

But back to national sales tax.  I'm in favor of it for my personal situation cuz I'm a cheap cuss and will probably never buy anything again for the rest of my life.

smoking is down because you cant smoke indoors anymore.  i doubt prices will keep people from smoking in new york.

Yep and why smoking is down.

Agreed. I'd only support a form of consumption tax if it made up for regression with exemptions.

I saw something about new york tripled the tax on cigarettes.

is that why cigs here are 7.85?

[Casper]

Cig tax is inelastic to a certain degree.  That's why some people are ordering their cig from indian reservation or throught internet sales.  They arent actually reducing their consumption of cig.