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Or maybe just a fair flat tax on all new goods and all services at ~8%. Everybody always pays the same percentage: tourists, bajillionaires, hobos, you name it.

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Flat taxes are regressive. They're simple, but they don't work.

You consider it "fair" because everyone pays the same. Not everyone should pay the same tax. Some people should pay more, some less.

Define "regressive" because when I google it I get "(of a tax) taking a proportionally greater amount from those on lower incomes". Are you talking about the wealthy having greater ability to find tax loopholes or do define "regressive" as everyone paying the same proportion of their income?

8% is going to hurt at different levels depending how much you have to spare - compare the pain caused by losing $8 of the $100 you have for the week to the $800 of $8000 for the week. One of those people is going to have to make real sacrifices, and it won't be the guy with $7200 left over.

Going from 1000 USD to 900 USD hurts a lot more than going from 1 million to 900k.

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