| Author |
Topic:
Tax Reform?
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Ender_Sai
Title: Manager Emeritus
Registered:
Feb '01
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Date Posted:
10/9/07 8:19pm
Subject:
RE: Tax Reform?
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diz, my idea was pretty much just a style of thinking rather than a concrete proposal - that is, a "why" rather than a "how".
The methodology would need tweaking and it's noticably absent on the details, but you should get an idea from it nonetheless.
E_S
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EnforcerSG
Registered:
Sep '01
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Date Posted:
10/10/07 4:35am
Subject:
RE: Tax Reform?
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dizfactor
Two, nobody is truly self-sufficient, and nobody gets wealthy based solely on their own efforts. People in an industrial or post-industrial economy can only make money by plugging themselves into a larger society capable of paying people for highly specialized services or labor. Try practicing law or slinging code for a living on a deserted island with no contact with the rest of humanity, and see how high your standard of living is.
Seeing as how we're all dependent on society to make our money (to translate our individual effort into currency and providing a venue where currency can be exchanged for goods and services), I don't think it's unreasonable to say that the more money you make the more you owe society for the opportunity to make it.
I would disagree. In this case, someone who is wealthy is giving back to society with the services or products they provide. I would also ask from this POV, what are non-wealthy people giving back to society?
There is one more thing I want to mention, but I don't think it really is important in this discussion. Society is not the same thing as a government. However there are some areas where they can overlap and this may be one of them.
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Kimball_Kinnison
Registered:
Oct '01
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Date Posted:
10/10/07 5:26am
Subject:
RE: Tax Reform?
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EnforcerSG posted:
I would disagree. In this case, someone who is wealthy is giving back to society with the services or products they provide. I would also ask from this POV, what are non-wealthy people giving back to society?
Exactly.
For some reason, a lot of people act like wealthy people are like Scrooge McDuck, storing all of their money in a giant bin and swimming through it every day. The real world doesn't work like that. A person who did that would be losing wealth, not saving it.
The wealthy don't just sit on most of their wealth (with the exception of things like art collections and so forth). They tend to reinvest it into the economy, which provides jobs and spurs innovation (through research). Do they make more money because of this investment? Sure (most of the time), but that doesn't make it a bad thing. An action does not have to be altruistic to benefit society.
Kimball Kinnison
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ShaneP
Registered:
Mar '01
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Date Posted:
10/10/07 3:29pm
Subject:
RE: Tax Reform?
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dizfactor
Two, nobody is truly self-sufficient, and nobody gets wealthy based solely on their own efforts.
Well, Bill Gates didn't hoarde his wealth. In fact, numerous millionaires have been created because of that one company.
I think higher taxes should become voluntary and based on specific items.
A "check-box" for national parks funding for example.
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Lowbacca_1977
Title: Senate Moderator
Registered:
Jun '06
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Date Posted:
10/10/07 3:55pm
Subject:
RE: Tax Reform?
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I'd ask if there would be a logical way of including either median prices or costs of living in particular areas to balance out the system to account for differences in what is considered 'middle-class'
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ShaneP
Registered:
Mar '01
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Date Posted:
10/10/07 3:59pm
Subject:
RE: Tax Reform?
- Date Edited:
10/10/07 4:10pm (2 edits total)
Edited By:
ShaneP
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Darth Hood
"Regressive"? "Payroll tax regime"? I don't have a clue what you're talking about.
Well, you can't reform the income tax system with a flat tax and not deal with payroll taxes and social security.
The payroll tax is called "regressive" because it falls on the working class and poor, as a percentage, in ways in which a graduated income tax does not.
So, if you keep the payroll tax intact and move to a flat-tax, the working class will get hit harder because they'll have fewer deductions under the flat-tax, yet still be required to pay the same amount of payroll tax.
Adding deductions to the flat-tax would help off-set those, but then you're heading down the road that gave us the large code to begin with.
edit
dizfactor
I don't think it's unreasonable to say that the more money you make the more you owe society for the opportunity to make it.
Does government = society?
I don't think so.
The argument is: does the government serve the needs of society as effectively as private associations, charities,etc.
I donate to several private charities and they do a bang up job thanks, much better than the state.
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ShaneP
Registered:
Mar '01
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Date Posted:
10/10/07 4:04pm
Subject:
RE: Tax Reform?
- Date Edited:
10/10/07 4:07pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
ShaneP
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Sorry for the multi-posts.
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Master_SweetPea
Registered:
Nov '02
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Date Posted:
10/13/07 7:09pm
Subject:
RE: Tax Reform?
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I've been studying this in school reccently and I think I'd like to see a large standard deduction for all and a flat rate over that.
Such as
$15,000.00 deduction for single adult
$30,000.00 deduction for couples
and
7,500.00 deduction for each dependent
Flat Rate of 15%
Any wages paid to minors shall not be taxed, because we don't believe in Taxation without representation, and if you are under 18 you are too young to vote!
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