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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Policymakers Would Push U.S. into the VAT


“With budget deficits soaring and President Obama pushing a trillion-dollar-plus expansion of health coverage, some Washington policymakers are taking a fresh look at a money-making idea long considered politically taboo: a national sales tax. Common around the world, including in Europe, such a tax — called a value-added tax, or VAT — has not been seriously considered in the United States. But advocates say few other options can generate the kind of money the nation will need to avert fiscal calamity.” (Washington Post, Wednesday)


Just what we need.


FEE Timely Classic

“Sales, Flat, or Spherical, Tax Reform Isn’t the Answer” by Gene Callahan


  • Sheldon Richman is the former editor of The Freeman and a contributor to The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics. He is the author of Separating School and State: How to Liberate America's Families and thousands of articles.