See, here's the thing, income taxes are geared to income. The more you make, the more you pay (in an ideal, loophole-free world, anyway). A sales tax hits the poorest harder than the richest. You might argue that since the poor don't by big-ticket items, it doesn't hit them as badly; except that it's worse for them. Every article of clothing, shoes, bed linens or towels, cleaning supplies, baby diapers, soap and shampoo, all those basic necessities (not including food, which should never be taxed when purchased as groceries), including hydro, rent, gas heating, phone, etc., becomes, say, 8% more expensive. The middle and upper classes can afford this, the poor cannot. Full stop.

To put this in some perspective. We're renovating my house, so I'm shopping for a lot of stuff right now. One of the bath supply shoppes we went into had a gorgeous vanity. Oh, I would love to have this in my bathroom. Mahogany half moon table base, with white onyx counter and sink, and polished nickel faucet. It was stunning. It was $12,000!!!!

If you can afford to buy that for your bathroom, you can afford to pay more on your income tax, as well as paying a new sales tax.

If the idea of paying for a new toggle for your toilet so it refills properly leaves you weeping as you try to figure out how that's going to impact your ability to buy food for your baby, you sure as hell cannot afford to pay a new sales tax.

Earlier in this discussion, someone raised the spectre of "Do you want the government deciding what healthcare you can get," or something to that effect. I put it out there, if you are one of the lucky ones who actually has insurance, someone already is dictating what healthcare you are entitled to. Your HMO/insurance company. Why is it better for a profit-generating corporation to make these decisions than it is for a non-for-profit entity such as the government?

Just a couple of thoughts. smile

Warm hugs,

Kat

A life lived in fear is a life half lived.
"Strictly Ballroom"