Simple solution
Experts say complex problems can't be solved with simple solutions. We think they're wrong.
A good example is the present Kansas problem about collection of sales tax, to retrieve revenue missed by the big out-of-state mail order folks
The Kansas Legislature opened a big can of worms which crawled all across the retail trade community. The ramifications are absurd.
Why not require foreign mail order houses to collect Kansas sales tax (a uniform state amount, not local fees). They would send a check to Kansas for all goods going to Kansas, and they'd tack it onto the price paid by consumers..
Also the state should require local businesses in Kansas to collect a retail sales tax on all good sold. Again, it would be a uniform amount (but local fees also would be collected).
Here's how it would be calculated. At the end of he day each retail store would total that day's cash received and multiply it by the magic number, sending that amount to the state. Topeka would send a check to local units, according to the formula. Local merchants would not need to calculate more than the gross revenue, easily obtained by using cash register receipts.
There would be no exceptions, sales tax would be paid on all goods sold. If a church or governmental unit was declared exempt, they'd keep their receipts and file for a refund with authorities at Topeka.
All merchandise and services would be required to pay a sales tax (period).
Eventually we'd see cafes, stores, and shops mark their merchandise as "tax included."
Instead of paying 75 cents for a cup of coffee, and another nickel for sales tax, they would price a cup of coffee at 80 cents (and send that nickel to the state later).
Instead of having so many items priced ending in nine, like $2.99 or $123.99, you'd find merchandise priced at even money. Change would be easier to make. And the penny would become extinct.
Complex problems can be solved with simple solutions. Next, we'll consider the 24-hour clock; Greenwich Mean Time; adopting the metric system as every other major nation in the world did years ago; and measuring temperature with Celsius readings. But don't expect too much. Let's solve the sales tax collection problem first.
— BILL MEYER
