Alone among developed countries, the United States has no broad-based national consumption tax. Yet, economic analysis suggests that consumption taxation is superior to income taxation because it does not penalize saving and investment. The authors conclude that the U.S. income tax system should be completely replaced by a progressive consumption tax. The authors argue that the X tax, developed by the late David Bradford, offers the best form of progressive consumption taxation for the United States. To achieve progressively, the X tax modifies the value added tax by splitting its consumption tax base into two components, wages and business cash flow. The X tax applies graduated tax rates to households' wages and applies a flat tax rate, equal to the highest wage tax rate, to business firms' cash flows. The authors outline concrete proposals for the X tax's treatment of pensions and fringe benefits, business firms, financial intermediaries, international transactions, owner-occupied housing, state and local governments, the transition, and other issues. By adopting the X tax, the United States can preserve tax progressively while promoting economic growth through the removal of tax penalties on saving and investment.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION1. WHY TAX CONSUMPTION?Removing the Income Tax Penalty on SavingGains from Reform Consumption-Tax Features in the Current Income Tax System Conclusion Box: The Trade-off Fallacy 2. THE CASE FOR THE X TAX The Retail Sales Tax and the Value-Added Tax The Two-Part VAT The X Tax: A Progressive Two-Part VAT Comparing the X Tax to the Personal Expenditures Tax Conclusion Box: Optics of the X Tax and the PET 3. MAINTAINING PROGRESSIVITY Tax Rate Schedule Assessing the Distributional Effects of the X Tax Conclusion Box: Zero Revenue from Taxation of Risky Returns 4. FRINGE BENEFITS AND TRANSFER PAYMENTS Fringe Benefits Financing Social Security and Medicare Public and Private Transfer Payments Conclusion Box: Taxation of Gambling 5. BUSINESS FIRMS General Issues Distinguishing Wages from Business Cash Flow Firms with Negative Business Cash Flows Conclusion 6. FINANCIAL SERVICES Neutral Tax Treatment The Problem of Mislabeled Transactions The Search for a Solution The R+F Cash-Flow Method Accounting Methods Special CasesConclusion7. INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONSThe Border Adjustment QuestionThe "Competitiveness" IllusionGiving Wealth Away without Really TryingAbove-Normal Returns and Transfer PricingOther Cross-Border IssuesConclusionBox: Border Adjustment with Fixed Exchange Rates8. THE TRANSITIONTransition Burden on Existing CapitalNormative IssuesOutline of a Transition PolicyMacroeconomic Policy during the TransitionConclusion9. THE NONBUSINESS SECTOROwner-Occupied Housing and Consumer DurablesProduction by Governments, Nonprofits, and HouseholdsPatrolling the Boundaries of the Business Cash-Flow TaxFiscal Federalism under the X TaxConclusionBox: Taxation of Home Resales10. THE VAT ALTERNATIVE Subtraction and Credit-Invoice VATs The Superiority of the VAT to the Retail Sales Tax Recent Discussion of VAT Using the VAT to Replace Other Taxes The "Easy" Stuff Monetary Policy and Other Transition Issues Governments and Nonprofits Implications for Social Security Combating the "Money Machine" Conclusion CONCLUSION NOTES REFERENCES INDEX ABOUT THE AUTHORS