Can you please provide some hard data to demonstrate how much of the budget is expended on non-working able-bodied young individuals? To repeat, I don't think that the budget problem is going to be fixed by trying to find a way to tax these individuals, nor I do I think it is more equitable to expect the working poor to pay higher tax rates than the wealthy just to get more revenue from these people. On top of that, I don't think that implementing a sales tax in lieu of an income tax would do anything to get these people working. Sounds like you might have some good ideas on where we could cut spending, but the state needs to generate revenue is a way that minimizing the harm - ie by insuring that people don't descend into poverty or to further economically stress those who are already struggling.