On Tue, 12 Nov 2013 12:37:58 -0600, Califbill wrote:

John H wrote:
On Tue, 12 Nov 2013 10:48:12 -0500, Charlemagne wrote:

On 11/12/2013 10:34 AM, wrote:
On Tue, 12 Nov 2013 09:00:51 -0500, John H
wrote:

Do you think a regressive tax like the typical 18% VAT in all of these
other countries would fly here? How about a 10% across the board
surtax on income?

Don would still trade tax bills with us in a heart beat.

If we had an 18% VAT the Dems would want to 'subsidize' the purchase
of anything and everything for
the bottom 50% of the population. The top 50% would pay the VAT plus
the VAT subsidy for the other
half of the population.


The problem with the VAT is everyone pays it. You can tune it somewhat
by limiting what it applies to but everyone will see some of it


The only way to really tax everybody evenly, even the underground
employed, is a nation wide sales tax eliminating the income tax. That
way everybody really pays taxes, peroid.. No 4 billion dollar IRS
refunds to China and a house in Alabama somewhere... Simple, you live
here, you pay, period...

The VAT is, basically, a sales tax - at least from the end user's point
of view. By granting tax
credits for VAT, which the liberals would sure as hell do, the idea of
taxing everyone 'evenly' is
shot out the window.

John H. -- Hope you're having a great day!

Actually a VAT is mostly a hidden sales tax. The last payer, the public,
is the only tax actually seen. Every sale up the ladder, that adds value
is taxed, which is mostly hidden from the public.

I know, that's why I said 'from user's point of view'. I've spent six and a half years in Germany,
buying stuff throughout Europe. It was always much cheaper to ride to Italy for motorcycle parts.
When I was there, the VAT was 14%. Luckily, the Status of Forces Agreement with Germany allowed us
to be reimbursed for the VAT if one wanted to do the paperwork. It was usually worth it to do the
paperwork.

John H. -- Hope you're having a great day!