The Value-Added Tax--What Else Should We Know About It?

GAO reviewed the advantages and disadvantages of imposing a value-added tax (VAT), a consumption tax to replace some of the revenues raised by other taxes. The proposal has recurred every few years since the 1960's and was made again in Congress in 1979 and 1980. The purpose of the review is to set out what is now known about VAT and raise the questions that still ought to be answered if the United States were to consider substituting VAT for current taxes.