SNIP
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>However, personally, I like the idea of no income tax and instead only tax products. You have a choice whether or not to purchase a product that is taxed. I could live tax free then if I abstained from everything taxed...or could I live at all?

Well here in Canada we have the best of both worlds - a tax on goods and services AND income tax!
The tax on goods and services, like almost anything government-driven, has been made super-complicated where it could have been so simple.

Take the simple bagel...
If you have a bagel and coffee for breakfast you pay the GST (tax) on both.
Now if you buy 6 bagels to bring home, no GST is payable...
but if those bagels are warm when you buy them (I suppose this is considered a special 'service') then you pay the GST on all 6 of them. Even though they will be cool by the time you get home.

Peanuts are not taxed UNLESS they are salted (I guess that represents 'added-value').

With coupons there are differences between manufacturer-issued coupons and store-issued coupons. With a manufacturer coupon the GST is payable on the 'pre-coupon amount' whereas with a store coupon it is payable on the net price after discount.

Food is not taxed for GST unless it is bought at a restaurant/take-out or non-'essential' (like ice cream and such).

All this amounts to confusion and temptation to cheat and serves to give the government several extra avenues to "get" you when they so choose.

Rent, mortgage payments and financial transactions generally are not taxed.

Overall a system not fit for man or beast!

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SNIP