The Tax Burden

[lark2 (deleted)]

I believe that the tax burden should not fall upon those least able to shoulder it, I think that flat or single taxes are less fair than so called progressive taxation

[spf1988 (deleted)]

`How about we abolish taxation all together and end the aristocracy by ending the state run mercantilist system...

[toddvanzetti]

.It would be better for the workers to just seize control of means of production and distribute production based on need. Then both the government and the capitalist parasites are irrelevant.

[auditore316]

`The problem isn't taxes. It's entitlements and wreckless spending. If we had the same taxes we have right now going to infrastructure projects like free energy, the country and the world would be in a much better place. But everyone wants something for nothing and that violates natural law.

Most people get caught up in a dichotomy, wherein it's rich vs. poor or have vs. have not or workers vs. leechers. In reality, I think these form a quandrant wherein you have the haves that work, the haves that don't work, the don't haves that work, and the don't haves that don't work; and each group needs to be taxed and subsidized according to their condition. For instance, someone who has wealth and contributes to society already should not be taxed, but also should not receive benefits from tax dollars. Whereas those that have wealth but contribute nothing should be made to provide for those that contribute but are in financial straights. And those that have nothing and contribute nothing, ... well, that's just karmic justice. You get what you give.

Too many people are receiving entitlements like Social Security and Medicare that would be just fine without them, and this sinkhole is wreaking havoc on our economy. And then there are others who would be just fine keeping the money they earn and not being made to pay into an insurance program that they will likely never make use of.

I know me, personally, I could probably qualify for a number of social benefits; but honor prevents me from taking them because I feel it's shameful to have to beg government for help when I have a healthy body and mind that I can use to earn a living. Better to leave that money for someone in a worse situation than myself.

[4libert (deleted)]

`Auditore316: I think I followed what you wrote and generally agree with you. But in your second paragraph, I think there might be a philosophical definition of "contribute" that may be worth exploring. That is, what constitutes a definition of "contribution to society"?

(P.S. I'm not trying to be confrontational, just philosophical here).

For instance, let's say my neighbor works a 40-hour week over five days. I would define that as "contributing." But let's say I work 40 hours over just two days (getting only a few hours sleep), and then take the rest of the week off. Would I no longer be contributing equally to society on my days off? Would I be penalized for being a wealthy non-contributor during that time off?

I would suggest that wealth acts in a basic similar way. When you earn a dollar, that is society telling you that you did something of value for them -- worth a dollar. If someone does something of great value to society, society effectively votes democratically with their dollars and the person ends up wealthy. Or, if someone is a workaholic (similar to the example above, but over a long term) and carefully saves and invests money, their ultimate reward would be early retirement. At that point, the early retiree would be considered wealthy, I guess (only because s/he is early).

Now that all said, I would also argue that wealthy people continue to contribute to society simply by spending money and investing money. Unless they put all of that money into gold coins and stuff them in a mattress, money that gets invested goes to help others grow their own companies and be innovative and productive (or helps them buy homes, cars, etc.). But regardless, the money they have should be proof to society that either they did something of value to society, or that someone who did something of value to society has provided them with a gift.

[geekboi]

`Anybody have an opinion on The Fair Tax? I think it would be favorable to our current system. A flat tax is better than what we have now, but it is still an income tax. My concern with the Fair Tax, however, is the "prebate." Would it not make more sense just to exempt food and clothing, as many states with sales taxes do? Would love to hear thoughts on that.

[keith1776 (deleted)]

`Your are correct that even a "flat" tax is still an income tax....I used to be for a "flat" tax, until I took my thoughts to the next level...if we had a truly free market, business would be BOOMING! There would be manufacturing IN AMERICA...I firmly believe left to our own devices, Americans are the hardest working and creative workers in the world! With the booming economy, there would be a lot of SALES taxes, which should be enough to pay for our LOCAL communities, because after all, local communities know what's best for them anyways, and shouldn't need help from DC. If this were the case, the FED would be very small, and wouldn't need much revenue to operate at all!!!