Yup. Plus talking about 'VAT on yachts' is nonsensical in the context of funding a basic income anyway. There are a lot of economically inactive people to fund and not many yachts being purchased; wealthy dynasties tend to consume only tiny fractions of the economic rents they can extract from the economy each year. Choosing a consumption tax as a means of funding a UBI ensures that the bulk of the net contribution towards funding it will be paid by the large numbers of people who spend most of their incomes on consumption - i.e the middle classes.

I was only trying to illustrate that a VAT isn't inherently regressive, that example wasn't meant to be taken that seriously.

You inadvertently did the exact opposite.

VAT is usually much higher in the world. 10% ish would put the US in the lower quartile. So not worth dodging the VAT and then to transport over still