Why do we tax production instead of consumption?

Question

Why do we use production taxes, such as income tax, instead of replacing those with more consumption taxes, such as an increased sales tax? Wouldn't this further encourage savings and investment that would allow America, as a whole, to grow faster?

If you think otherwise, please explain why, as I'm simply curious.

Answer 1

The cost of a gallon of milk would go up and the people who are in poverty would have an even harder time feeding their children.

With income taxes, people pay based on the amount of money they make. So theoretically everyone it hit just as hard with tax burdens. With increasing taxes on consumption, the family who makes $100,000 per year will be able to afford the high taxes on milk but the person making $15,000 a year may not.


mymadsky~ Tennessee taxes food 8%
16 states tax food.

Answer 2

Curiosity killed the cat .
SO all I can say is do not look at things from a narrow point of view .
Who would pay the billions and billions of dollars redistributed to those by virtue of being born white and going to school to train for an opportunity to work for uncle sam in his maze of government run opportunity .
See poor people and minority's must often go to work to support themselves and pay taxes to support the rich .
It has been done this way for thousands of years .
Men work hard to hand over the products they make .
Now in order to be able to say that you are free , the rich must collect taxes from your productivity and not what you consume . Collecting taxes on consumables would raise the price of food and gas too 6 dollars a loaf of bread and 10 dollars a gallon of gas .The poor would still be left with nothing only the rich would need to insure the poor got more pay per hour to afford to survive .
The poor would notice this change in pricing and revolt leaving thee rich with no source of Income .
So providing useless things like Art history classes so rich white people can have museums with a staff of people all paid very well by federal funds along with state and local funds would be impossible . Are you getting the message yet . Do you need me to wipe off the fog on your glasses so you can see clearly what is going on . Scientists work to develop new drugs to replace old ones claiming they work better while some doctors perform fake surgery and provide sugar pills and report that patients feel better and act better . People that did not receive knee surgery are jogging and no longer complaining about pain .
Why ?What changed ? .
It is all a big game of take from the poor and give to the rich . Rich people take up space doing nothing of real value to provide food shelter clothing or any real tangible goods for the masses .
They do how ever entertain the masses with books and tv shows movies and sporting events . All things to keep the masses from discovering the truth .
Johnny can't read because his Uncle Sam does not need him to at this point .
He has developed machines and found cheaper labor else where in the world .
When I can catch a giant tiger prawn/shrimp at 6 am and it can be on your table in one of New Yorks finest restaurants that evening how much labor is involved in that shrimp to get it to the rich .
Most people would make due with the local food variety's available . The cost is tremendous but spread out over 20 workers it is nothing . When you do not work and create the system of rewards and control it with a police force you have Some Americans eating these shrimp and others living under a bridge .Think about it for a moment several million people living on the streets and 500 restaurants serving 20-75 dollar appetizers . The rich are entitled to every thing they have as long as we allow them to take it from us . Good luck with a consumer tax and an end to production taxes .
I would love to see this happen even if it fails just for the sheer pleasure of watching the rich scramble to claim jobs that pay from revenues not taken from the people and actually work at something .

Answer 3

Michael-

What state taxes food?

Answer 4

liberals hate business