Even Without Income Taxes, IRS Won’t Die

Steve Dorsey suggests we eliminate the pesky income tax and replace it with a federal sales tax [“Taxing Complications Reason to Abolish IRS,” Letters, April 5]. Then abolish the IRS and voila! “ . . . Taxes would be reduced by the amount it costs to fund that government agency too.”

I’m wondering how it would work. Would retailers collecting the federal sales tax send a monthly check to the White House? The Treasury Department might seem more appropriate, but we’ve just fired their tax collection staff. And the White House does have all those interns to keep busy.

There’s also the matter of tax compliance--the “make sure it’s collected and don’t keep any of it for yourself” rule. In the Dorsey system, do we assume that compliance is never a problem?

If it is a concern, we will need an agency to make sure the federal sales tax is imposed correctly and forwarded when collected.

Oops! There’s the IRS rising from the grave!

RICK SCOTT

Ventura