What is fair tax all about?

The 'Fair Tax' is, essentially, a tax on what you spend rather than on what you earn. It is supposed to be 'fair' because everyone is taxed at an equal rate on what they spend (it approaches 'fairness' only if essentials such as food, rates, mortgage, utilities and so on are taxed at a lower rate or not taxed at all). It would, of course, neatly sidestep any issues about aliens and illegal immigrants since EVERYONE who buys anything in the country would be paying a tax, regardless of where they earn their money. It would also get rid of much of the expense of the IRS by making Income Tax returns a thing of the past and, effectively, making every retailer an unpaid tax collector. In the EU we have the worst of both worlds: we are taxed on what we earn but we are also charged 'Value Added Tax' (between 5% and 20%, depending on where you live and what the goods or services are) on most of the things that we buy. As far as I can see, the only 'fair' thing about the 'Fair Tax' is that there is an element of 'swings and roundabouts' ... and you can be sure that it will be the Government who would benefit in the long run!