Originally I had a much longer post but it got way too political (disclaimer: am liberal). Short version: this seems incredibly regressive. It's also supposedly

Originally I had a much longer post but it got way too political (disclaimer: am liberal). Short version: this seems incredibly regressive. It's also supposedly been introduced in every congress since 1999, with limited and single-party support, and it languishes in committee. So possible meme: "AFFT, stop trying to make FairTax happen, it's not going to happen." One point for anyone running calculations: AFFT uses a 23% figure a few places on their site, and at least to me it felt advertised as being closest to a 23% sales tax. However 23% is the equivalent effective income tax rate everyone would pay. The sales tax equivalent would be 30%. 23% income tax only: You earn $100, federal government takes 23%, you are left with $77. You buy $77 of groceries. 23% sales tax only: You earn $100, government takes nothing in income taxes, you go to the grocery store, you buy $81 in groceries and pay 81*1.23 = $99.63 at the register. If the government still wants its $23 rather than $18.63: 30% sales tax: You earn $100, government takes nothing in income taxes, you go to the grocery store, you buy $77 in groceries and pay $77*1.3=$100.10 (actual tax rate is 29.86%, I rounded) That's not saying anything about the economic effects, what might happen with salaries, benefits, etc., but to me it seems this is going to soak a lot of people living paycheck to paycheck so those who spend a fraction of yearly income pay less (to say nothing of that group's ability to avoid this tax). Also, good luck telling folks at or near retirement and above FPL who already paid taxes on decades of savings they owe a new ~30% sales tax. They vote.