PEOPLE

With the average American working from January 1 to May 8 just to earn enough to pay income taxes, the Southeast Missourian asked people what they thought about replacing the current income tax system with a federal sales tax that would be collected at the retail level.

Chris Chilton: "It could be a good concept if researched properly. I think some items like food could be exempt. However, I think the average person would not want to change from the tax system we have now."

Virginia Douglas: "It would be a good idea. A lot of people hide their income now, and they would have to pay their taxes if they wanted to spend their money. I don't think it would happen, because people with money run our country."

Lou Hobbs: "I think it would work. You would not have to be concerned about paying income taxes at the end of the year. You would pay as you go. People who are not paying now would have to pay before they could buy what they wanted."

Don Owen: "It would be fine as part of a total improvement program to collect revenue, but I think there should also be a percentage collected from a person's income. Something needs to be changed, and a sales tax would be a good start."

Greg Withers: "It would probably be fair for the average taxpayer. It would be worth looking into and even trying. The government would be getting money every day of the year. You couldn't file for an extension of time and it would be less paper work."

Janet McTyer: "I think it would work, but I don't think the government would end up getting any more money than it is getting now. It might be good to just pay your taxes throughout the year as you spent your money instead of just once a year like we do now."