1.   If by fair you mean that everyone pays the same proportion of his income in taxes, the flat tax comes closer.

2.   Both taxes came into operation at the time when the land and property boom turned into a slump.

3.   Although the three talked for an hour as Bush flew from Omaha to Little Rock, taxes never came up.

4.   But then came other taxes.

5.   Still, powerful lobbies have been thwarted before and there is a possibility a flat tax could come about in Washington.

6.   Tax cutting comes in for blame.

7.   Thanks to the healthy US economy and the booming stock market, tax receipts are coming in strong almost everywhere.

8.   Taxes almost never come up.