

       The Republicans are, in general, fighting any tax increase.
There is also worry that a VAT would be far too easy to increase
incrementally.

       (BTW, what is different between Canada's tax and most of
Europe's that makes it "visible?")


       This would require a constitutional amendment, and Congress
enjoys raising taxes too much to restrict themselves like that.
(Besides, with the 2/3 majority necessary to pull that off you'd 
have a difficult time "forcing" anything like that.)


       Primarily because it's a practical impossibility to "freeze"
tax rates.

       However, this is something that bothers me.  We're always talking
about "consumer confidence" and "consumer spending" as gauges for the
economy.  If they really are important, wouldn't shifting taxes to
consumption provide a disincentive to spend money?
