
<p>Even before Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced his presidential campaign, a group associated with President Trump began airing attack ads against the Governor. ; That is a bit unusual, to say the least. ; It clearly indicated that Trump was nervous about DeSantis.</p>



<p>What is more important to understand is the content of the ad itself. ; To the tune of “Old McDonald Had a Farm,” the ad claimed that DeSantis was a big tax advocate – noting that he had voted to create a National Sales Tax.</p>



<p>According to the ad, the National Sales Tax would increase the cost of virtually everything people buy. ; That is true, BUT … there is a key part of the DeSantis proposal that the Trump folks “forgot” to mention. ; The National Sales Tax proposal would actually lessen the tax burden on the American people because (and this is what the Trump ad left out) … it would abolish the Income Tax. ; That’s right. ; No more Income Tax. ; No more Internal Revenue Services. ; No more paycheck withholding. ; No more audits. ; No more seizure of bank accounts and personal property. ; ;</p>



<p>The National Sales Tax means no more debate over who is paying their fair share of taxes – and who is not. ; It would mean an end to all those legal loopholes for folks who can afford to take advantage of them. ; No more using the income tax codes to reward or punish people or organizations on the basis of political views. ; ;</p>



<p>I have long advocated a National Sales Tax for the aforementioned reasons – and a few more.</p>



<p>A sales tax tends to be regressive – impacting hardest on those with the least financial resources. ; To adjust for that, the National Sales Tax would be slightly progressive – meaning a higher tax rate on luxury items and no national tax on the basic household necessities, such as food and medicine.</p>



<p>This means that a person’s tax would relate directly to their wealth – their ability to buy stuff. ; In a sense, the National Sales Tax would take the place of the wealth tax that leftwingers like Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren keep proposing.</p>



<p>We already have the collection system in place and operating. ; It is those who provide the goods and services that we purchase – from the grocery store to the law firm. ; Businesses already serve as the collection point for taxes – both current sales taxes and withheld income taxes. ; ;</p>



<p>The IRS, as we know it today, would dissolve into a much smaller agency within the Department of the Treasury. ; The Agency&#8217;s oversight and enforcement responsibilities would only involve the businesses collecting taxes on behalf of the government. ; And even this is already part of the national tax collection process. ; Basically, they would make sure that taxes are properly collected and passed on to the government. ; It is the same oversight they perform in conjunction with the collection of income tax. ; What systems are already in place.</p>



<p>Through a National Sales Tax, every person would be able to adjust their tax liability by what and how much they purchase. ; It would significantly lower the overall tax burden on the average American. ; What we pay to Uncle Sam would no longer be confiscatory. ; On the other hand, it would hit hardest on the wealthiest – something the class war progressives – such as Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders &#8212; should like.</p>



<p>There is an extremely important secondary provision in establishing a National Sales Tax. ; We must pass a constitutional amendment abolishing and outlawing the income tax. ; We cannot just suspend it legislatively. ; The way Washington works, once we have a National Sales Tax, the members of Congress would eventually want to get more money from us by legislatively reinstating the income tax, and that is the worst of all worlds &#8212; a National Sales Tax AND an income tax. ; ;</p>



<p>Weeeell … if the National Sales Tax is such a damn good idea, why is it not happening?</p>



<p>The opposition comes from the folks who run America – our ruling class. ; The lawyers. ; And a lot of those lawyers are … tax lawyers. ; They are the folks who have designed our current tax system to be a legal bonanza for themselves. ; They are the folks who have created the maze of loopholes that only they know how to traverse. ; Then there are all those tax accountants and accounting firms – from TurboTax (for you and me) to the corporate powerhouse, Deloitte (which has annual revenues of $60 billion).</p>



<p>Not only does the National Sales Tax fail to get the attention of most folks in Washington, it is almost never even mentioned or debated. ; That may be because what little polling there is on the subject shows widespread support among those who understand what a National Sales Tax is and how it works to their financial benefit.</p>



<p>The politicians want “we the people” to be ignorant on the subject of a National Sales Tax. ; Trump’s anti-DeSantis ad shows how such ignorance is exploited and promoted. ; ;</p>



<p>Personally, I believe that every candidate for federal office – and every questionnaire they receive to ascertain their positions on issues – should include a question about a National Sales Tax. ; I also wish that our so-called public-interest tax-watchdog organizations would promote the National Sales Tax – but then again, they are also beneficiaries of the current system.</p>



<p>I do not expect to see any serious efforts to address a National Sales Tax – but kudos to DeSantis for trying. ; And shame on Trump for a very deceptive ad against a fellow Republican.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

DeSantis on Taxes … and the Deceptive Trump Attack Ad
