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Having been to Copenhagen a few times in my life (partner used to live there) I came to realise there might be two extremes in terms of the way you look at tax

by iaskwhy 10y ago

Having been to Copenhagen a few times in my life (partner used to live there) I came to realise there might be two extremes in terms of the way you look at tax rates. Some people might move to Dubai because its income tax is low or even nil - that attracts people who are more interested in their own well being than their communities'. Now some people - I would include myself here (rightly or wrongly, it doesn't really matter) - look at countries with high taxes and low inequality and enjoy the idea of a country where the well being of the community might came before than yourself getting rich. It's all a bit utopical (and, knowing Copenhagen, it really feels a bit off reality) but I can't help not thinking about it.

Shivetya 10y ago
Even people who desire lower taxes and less services love their communities, they just operate from a strong sense or right and wrong. Right being that you work if you can and even if you cannot you do not impose on others unless necessary. The generations who came up in the early 1900s, twenties, thirties, and even forties, have a vastly different outlook than those that followed. You were entitled to do right, you were not entitled to take.
unknown_apostle 10y ago
All people who are net receivers from the system do so literally for their own well being. Which is logical. And ok, because obviously there are lots of truly helpless cases in any given country. But over the decades, it accumulates fraud. Or even worse, a kind of learned helplessness which keeps people in their place. Maybe Denmark is different. But my guess is that many living in Belgium and France will be able to point out multiple cases of fraud or at least debatable cases in their immediate surroundings. Finally, a lot of the available money never leaves the hands of the vast bureaucratic caste that manages the system. I guess what I want to say: people will be people, regardless of the system. Social democracy involves a lot of cynicism and greed too. And probably in a less constructive way than systems that don't rely exclusively on "anonymous" Big State-enforced redistribution.

by iaskwhy 10y ago

Shivetya 10y ago

Even people who desire lower taxes and less services love their communities, they just operate from a strong sense or right and wrong. Right being that you work if you can and even if you cannot you do not impose on others unless necessary. The generations who came up in the early 1900s, twenties, thirties, and even forties, have a vastly different outlook than those that followed. You were entitled to do right, you were not entitled to take.

unknown_apostle 10y ago

All people who are net receivers from the system do so literally for their own well being. Which is logical. And ok, because obviously there are lots of truly helpless cases in any given country. But over the decades, it accumulates fraud. Or even worse, a kind of learned helplessness which keeps people in their place. Maybe Denmark is different. But my guess is that many living in Belgium and France will be able to point out multiple cases of fraud or at least debatable cases in their immediate surroundings. Finally, a lot of the available money never leaves the hands of the vast bureaucratic caste that manages the system. I guess what I want to say: people will be people, regardless of the system. Social democracy involves a lot of cynicism and greed too. And probably in a less constructive way than systems that don't rely exclusively on "anonymous" Big State-enforced redistribution.