[bills217]

"A flat tax will never happen in the US, regardless of how much fiscal sense it might make."

It is not a flat tax. Go read the FAQ on the website. All citizens would get a rebate up to poverty-level spending, actually making it more progressive than the current system, although I realize it has nothing to do with your main point about the power of politicians. Congressman John Linder is a co-author of the book and sponsor of the bill, so there's one politician who supports it.

If my understanding is correct, they have something mildly similar in Europe called value-added taxes (VAT's), so I think it's a realistic enough possibility to make it worth discussing, especially considering the apparent advantage it would give online poker pros.