Wendy Sherman: “there is nothing as absurd as blowing something up if one does not know what they are going to have to replace it.…”

“there is nothing as absurd as blowing something up if one does not know what they are going to have to replace it. Today, the Committee on Ways and Means is considering a national sales tax as if it is a panacea for complexity and unfairness. Mr. Speaker, for 6 years I headed the largest sales tax agency in this country, and I am here to testify that the sales tax offers an opportunity at every level for complexity, unfairness, special interest provisions. Everything that is hated about the Internal Revenue Code will be brought in to a sales Tax Code if the reasons for that complexity are not defeated, the reasons for that unfairness, and there is not real campaign finance reform. What does this closed rule do? It prevents us from bringing section 527 and its unfair rules that hide political activity, prevent disclosure of campaign finance to the American people. So we have a rule designed to facilitate, not reform, but a national sales tax system to be implemented by a Congress put there by secret contributions, secret political organizations. Mr. Speaker, we should instead be trying to reform our tax laws code section by code section. This rule and the underlying bill is much sound and fury that will signify nothing, because what does a politician do if they want to do nothing? Appoint a commission. Great. We appoint a commission. It comes through with a national sales tax bill at 59.5 percent.”