Entroper I answered you question in my previous post to Kasz. However to bring up a point about the different costs of goods in different areas.

I believe the Poverty level is not exactly perfect. A much better way to measure the cost of living would be regional. A person making $20,000 might be able to survive in Oklahoma, but would not be able to make it in NYC. A regional system would be much better and could/should be moved towards to avoid what you bring up.

As far as registering requiring an address, I am in favor of this. If you live in any type of conventional housing you can get the Prebate. If you have a job but live in your car, The FairTax could have an exception. Upon proof of employment you could have your prebate mailed there.

 Guys I just found an article on Slate.com (not a conservative strong hold) about the FairTax. Here it is: http://www.slate.com/id/2181833/nav/tap3/

Just thought you should read it. 

This seems improbable, given that the government wouldn't have to pay the prebate checks, or the cost of running the agency that tracks and prints them.

Again, this is MORE bureaucracy, not less.  Once we start adding exceptions and loopholes, we've got another IRS.  I warned about this a few pages back.   The FairTax isn't even implemented and already we're thinking of new ways to complicate it!  :) 

The problem with sales tax is its a regressive tax. The lower your income, the higher percentage of your income goes to tax.

While it is true that the wealthier you are your tendency will be to buy more expensive things, but this is not universally true, and when you get down in to the lower income levels the effects could be disasterous.

If ALL new items are taxed (clothes, food, etc) the effects would be even worse.

Consider 2 people, one making 20,000/year one making 25,000/year. Say they have roughly the same taxable living expenses a year (say 10,000 pre tax, both would pay around 2300)

Now this leaves the 20,000/year individual paying 11.5% of their income in tax and the 25,000/year paying 9.2% of their income each year in tax.

I don't see how this is "Fair," especially since the 25000 is in control of more wealth in the country.

CrashMan this is why there is a Prebate to refund the tax on the living expenses. People at or under the Poverty level pay no taxes because they can't spend more than they earn (unless they use a credit card yes... but ignoring that). The rate is set so that the more you spend, the more you pay taxes. If what you make is what you spend, then you will pay more taxes than people who make less money than you.

Entroper, perhaps instead of the Federal Government creating regional poverty levels, we let the states do it as the Constitution would suggest in Amendment 10.

Also guys I won't be around for most of the rest of today or tomorrow due to work and life duties.

^^ What are you implying Copycon? You quote me as saying something that makes sense and you post a picture of Less social and genetic worth. What do you mean to say? I guess I just don't understand you...

That's why I favor not taxing food and clothing (basic clothing, not flashy designer crap), not taxing one car or one house up to a certain value, etc.  IMO, it would be simpler to do this than prebates.

But what if someone making 1 million a year spends the same as someone making 100,000 just based on what they want and their frugality.

the person making 1 million would pay 1/10th the rate of their income in taxes than the person that makes 100,000. Yet they still control 10 times the wealth in the country.

It doesn't make sense how this is considered a "Fair Tax"