Kerry Slams Bush's Idea for a National Sales Tax

MercuryNews.com

MIDDLE CLASS WOULD FEEL BURDEN

John Kerry said Thursday that Bush's musing about a national sales tax is an insult to financially struggling voters and would amount to "one of the largest tax increases on the middle class in American history."

..."We know exactly who that's going to hurt," Kerry said. "That's going to hurt small business. It's going to hurt jobs. It's going to hit the pocketbooks of those who need and deserve tax relief most in America."

Bush has suggested that overhauling the tax code would be a second-term priority if he is re-[s]elected. While campaigning in Florida on Tuesday, he said replacing the income tax with a federal sales tax is "an interesting idea that we ought to explore seriously."

(more)