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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill who wrote (24395)	7/13/2000 12:24:11 PM
From: lawdog	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

1. How will you prevent the use of bartering to avoid the tax? 2. How will you offset the regressive nature of a consumption tax? A system based on income would retain some trappings of the current system thus making it as imperfect. 3. How will you prevent individuals living near a border from purchasing their goods in Canada or Mexico? How will you prevent individuals from buying goods on-line from countries with no consumption tax? 4. You will probably want to collect a sales tax on goods purchased outside the U.S. Wouldn't this turn Customs into an organization just as bad as the IRS? A consumption tax would create just as much oppression and cost as the income tax. Taxes are costly to collect and enforce (in terms of human capital, money and red tape). This is a fact cannot be changed, although I'm sure you will disagree. It amkes more sense to keep the current system. We have a large body of law interpreting it and experience under them. Throwing out one bad system for another will not solve the problem.

To: Bill who wrote (24395)	7/13/2000 12:25:55 PM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

Well, either you are obliged to pay, because you have to live in society, and therefore it is merely a matter of when and where, or, in the alternative, you do not pay, and therefore are a free- rider. Thus, if you are right about it being your choice, the income tax is fairer........

To: Bill who wrote (24395)	7/13/2000 2:22:13 PM
From: Father Terrence	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

The concept must be so alien to Neocon's normal way of thinking that he is having trouble grasping it. FT