Senator Rand Paul advocated for a national sales tax to replace the federal income tax. The tax would be 17% of all retail sales purchases and includes no exemptions or exclusions. Paul claims that this would increase efficiency by eliminating the administrative costs of the IRS and it would encourage savings and investment.

a) Evaluate this proposed change in federal revenue sources based on tax evaluation criteria.

b) Evaluate Paul's claims about administrative costs and efficiency.

c) Is this a "fair tax"? Why or why not?