It would be wrong, let alone politically impossible, to add a U.S. VAT on top of existing taxes. When Japan instituted its VAT, to assure adoption, it was done along with an overall tax reduction.

But, as a revenue-neutral substitute for the corporate income tax, the VAT in itself would have positive implications for the U.S. economy because it is border-adjustable, i.e., imports would be subject to the tax and exports would subtract the tax. Thus, U.S. corporations and workers would be in a more competitive position at home and abroad. Furthermore, eliminating the corporate income tax would do away with the double-taxation of dividends; the U.S. would become a magnet for foreign investment, and U.S. multinationals would no longer have an incentive to park funds abroad in lower-taxed countries.