You don't even want to get me started on how ridiculous our system of funding government services is. I firmly believe that there should be one tax based on consumption and that's it. Nobody and no product is exempt from it. No income taxes, no corporate taxes, no estate taxes. The money is taxed when it's spent not when it's made. One single percentage is agreed upon and the tax revenue is spread equally out to all states based on population after national expenses are paid for. If it becomes a system filled with exemptions it fails. If you don't like paying high taxes then don't waste your money. Save it. Maybe that might just help with the retirement fund issue as well. I won't hold my breath though since the current system is designed to spare the largest spenders.

People will complain that essential items should be exempt but that would only set us up for abuse and corruption. Those items aren't exempt now. Even if they were you'd be paying the taxes on them up front through income taxes.

As far as your arguments about the value of these large retail stores to municipalities, we've seen in recent year these big box stores get these monstrous tax exemptions to attract them into areas; some are actually paid cash to build in a locality. That's absurd and completely counter to free enterprise. You won't see those incentives going to mom and pop stores only to their intense competition. Those perks should be absolutely outlawed.

Believe me, I want the Home Depots and Lowes available to me but not at the expense of our national character created by small businesses that served us well for so many years. Those large corporations have a right to create the business model they do but should not get special help from the government to give them an unfair advantage.

Oh, and your argument about the benefits each of those companies pay? If we had in place universal health care and sound governmental retirement programs, the burden would not be on businesses.

Art