Trying to dispel this notion 'TAXES ARE BAD'.

Taxes are the CONTRIBUTION you make to this country.

The government NEVER says they don't need more money,
or everyone would get a tax cut!

No, the government always needs the same amount of revenue to operate.

So it's NEVER a tax cut, It's a TAX SHIFT.

IT shifts the billionaires' and millionaires' tax burden onto YOU!

It just is never presented that way.

Denmark and other countries pay with the same services, most of us would come out financially and socially ahead.

Of course, the US being what it is, they'd probably see it as a reason to pay workers a lot less.

Into bankruptcy on a bloated military budget like we do, so they can't afford the good things their government does.

We can't do good services for Americans, but we blow just about anyone up, anywhere at anytime. What an age we live in.

As soon as the above (Swede's excellent post) is spread on the internet, the cooperation's counter
moves is lies, lies, lies and more lies..

Politically, there is no appetite in the US for something regressive like that.

Not everything has a 25% VAT.

https://www.skatteetaten.no/en/rates/value-added-tax/

-- even if only grudgingly -- by people in those states. Is it entirely impossible that we might some day change Americans' appetite?

To some degree, it's all in how we frame things. For a thoughtful person, I'd think "value added" is a far more convincing moniker than "sales tax". Maybe that term is too complex for many -- if not most -- Americans. But taxes really are "value added" whether they are applied to income or purchases. We need to never give in on that specific point ... regardless of current "appetite".

Taxes are also a second order issue. The first order issues are exponential wealth aggregation coupled with the relative wage stagnation. Fix those, and taxes become an issue for far fewer voters. So let's go after the billionaires and, God help us, trillionaires first! They are the boogeymen!

Maybe then the notion of taxes being "value added" becomes palatable.

There are differences between a sales tax and VAT. Sales taxes are collected at final sale to the consumer. Business to business transactions are normally exempted.

A VAT is often applied to every stage of production of a product. That is why they are labeled as a "Value Tax"

I was surprised to see that Norway has a 15% VAT on water and sewer service. Imagine paying 15% tax on your municipal water and sewer bill every month.

As a realist, I just can't see how a 25% VAT like Norway has would ever be passed here. Do you think Senior Citizens, after paying into Medicare for 40 years, and becoming eligible at the age of 65, would then vote for someone proposing to make them pay 25% more on every transaction, in exchange for keeping the same health care they already have, plus free college? I would guess that would be a very hard sell.

many US employers don't give much parental leave if any, especially fully paid. The MAGA health plan is die quickly.

Somehow it will get twisted by politicians and lining their pockets. That's the American way.

The responses have been very favorable and positive comments as well.