You overestimate what a vat or a sales tax would have to be to replace income tax.
Still sale taxes are generally regressive, even if they behave like VAT. The true step on federal taxes would be to simplify the system. Just a flat rate with no exemptions. The simple the system the less is spent trying to jimmy it, lobby it, etc.
This is unfortunately known for decades, and predicted accurately by Milton Friedman as a political problem, where both sides want different things, and both side actually get what they want politically.
Still sale taxes are generally regressive, even if they behave like VAT. The true step on federal taxes would be to simplify the system. Just a flat rate with no exemptions. The simple the system the less is spent trying to jimmy it, lobby it, etc.
This is unfortunately known for decades, and predicted accurately by Milton Friedman as a political problem, where both sides want different things, and both side actually get what they want politically.