The sales tax where I live - Fountain Hills, AZ - is 8.9%. Even though I can afford it more easily than most it's the tax that I hate the most. If I buy a couple of pair of jeans at the local Target for $100 I have to pay $8.90 to the state. I have to pay 8.9% at Starbucks and every place else that I spend money in this town and it's not much less elsewhere in Metro-Phoenix. But, as I said, at least I can afford it while those of lesser means are hit the hardest.

I've been wondering: Is there a ceiling above which it would be politically impossible - a point at which the public would not stand for it - to raise the sales tax?

We can't have all the liberal dream projects without someone like you, and the poor people, paying for them.

But to answer your question... i think it can go much higher than 10%. Look at the VAT in Europe. They thought - *giggle* - that it would never go above 5%.

Liberal dream projects? We're currently discussing funding a massive tax break for the wealthy funded by the blood of hundreds of thousands of poor people. I'm sure we'll eventually find new ways to funnel money from the poor to the rich, like huge, regressive consumption taxes.

Have a huge tax on cigarretes, tatoos, kids and other things poor people spend their money on. It would be good for everybody.

Poor people don't spend their money on kids. They're too busy buying crack and lotto tickets.

They sure seem to have a lot of kids.

Taxing mongidig personally just to help pay for any random children's basic needs sounds like a fun plan.

I can envision a problem with that plan.

Envisioning it is the only real plan about it TBH.