National Sales Tax a Big Dud

Huge Opposition to a national sales tax to raise revenue:

• Just 18% of Americans nationwide favor a national sales tax ... 68% oppose such a tax.
• if sales tax revenue is used to provide health insurance for all Americans... 40% favor a national sales tax and 49% are opposed. Democrats strongly support a national sales tax to provide universal health insurance coverage. Republicans are opposed by a three-to-one margin, and those not affiliated with either major party are opposed two-to-one.
• A plurality of Americans would support a national sales tax if it meant getting rid of the federal income tax: 43% favor that trade-off, but 38% are opposed. Pluralities of Republicans and unaffiliateds like the idea, while a plurality of Democrats are against it.
• Forty-eight percent (48%) say a national sales tax is fairer than an income tax while 26% hold the opposite view. The sales tax is viewed as fairer by 52% of Republicans, 44% of Democrats and 49% of unaffiliateds.

The upshot: Even though most people think a sales tax is fairer, in fact there is not enough consensus to add it. There is not enough support to make it replace the income tax, which would require a Constitutional Amendment, so that leaves FairTax in a limbo state.

People might see a good use for national sales tax ('free medicine!' Abolish the IRS!) but are rightly distrustful of politicians, so they will see it as just another tax. And why not? Politicians are crap-weasels and this tax is guaranteed to be an additional tax, nothing more nor less.