The thing I HATE about a VAT tax is it is a hidden tax. Taxes should be up
front and visable. I would prefer that the income taxes collected go into a
special account that you have to write a check on to the government for your
yearly income tax payment. Then these who say 'Oh, I got a refund this
year'. Would realize they just overpaid, and then maybe we would have
revolt at the ballot box on all the tax and spend politicians.
Bill

"Jim," wrote in message
...

http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/22/news...ex.htm?cnn=yes

Very short extract -- read the article please before commenting

With reform recommendations from a presidential panel due by July 31,
the betting is that at least one of the proposals would move the United
States closer to a model that started in France decades ago, spread
across Europe and is now used by more than 120 countries, including
Singapore, Canada, Japan and Australia.

The model? A hybrid tax code with two key components: a tax on income
and a type of sales tax commonly known as a value-added tax.

"My guess is the panel is playing with a couple of different ideas,"
said Clint Stretch, the director of tax policy at Deloitte Tax, a unit
of the accounting giant Deloitte & Touche. "One is some...reform of the
current income tax system and the second is a value-added tax."



It just might work -- my only fear is that the congress never wants to
give up a tax.