"So, the answer to a sluggish economy, high unemployment, and a high tax burden that disproportionately harms low-income families is to increase the burden even more, while transforming the “most fair” tax into outright redistribution to compensate for the “least fair” taxes? That’s lunacy."

IMHO, it's an inability to reason through a problem. Many well-meaning "progressives" see all people not as "created equal" with the liberty to fail or succeed, but AS equal. Thus if some people are doing less well than others it's not their poor choices, but the "system" that is biased against them. It ignores reality--a form of lunacy...

"Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy" There seems to be little discussion of the fact that "Poverty" has become an "industry" insofar as advocacy groups are concerned. Without doubt, a "sales tax" disproportionaly effects low income people, what's new? I notice that "property taxes" are included, is there an "estimate" used to determine what portion of rent is "property tax"?