Economists do widely (universally?) agree that VATs have the lowest inefficiency (deadweight loss) of any form of taxation, and are thus the most efficient (not necessarily most fair, which isn't an economic question. You can solve a lot of the fairness/regressivity issues with VAT through some kind of blanket, potentially refundable per capita credit).

I dislike VATs philosophically due to the massive data they collect and turn over to the government, and how they open up a lot of activities to regulation, but in practice, they do seem to be a superior option.