The VAT is often portrayed as taxing a good or service at each stage of production/ delivery. The manufacturer pays tax on raw materials; the wholesaler pays tax on the finished product; the retailer pays tax on goods brought to market; the consumer pays tax on the sale.

The fallacy is that the only real tax is paid by the end consumer, since the taxes along the way are simply costs passed along the way. The end consumer just has no one left to whom to pass his/her costs.

There is an analogy to matter rolling downhill...

Mr Stupak puts an awful lot of trust in the delivery of an EO banning the Executive Branch from using federal $$$ for abortions.

So, far, no such EO has been posted to the Federal Register; perhaps Mr Stupak should have waited until the EO was published...

As GB Shaw once observed, a government that robs Peter to pay Paul will always have the support of Paul.