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So person A sells an iPhone to person B in China. The phone was manufactured there and never left the country. Can you tell me the reasoning that our federal go

So person A sells an iPhone to person B in China. The phone was manufactured there and never left the country. Can you tell me the reasoning that our federal government owns 35% of that sale? There’s a reason other (more “progressive”) countries don’t tax overseas business. It’s stupid and anticompetitive.

toomuchtodo 9y ago
The same reason I owe the government taxes when a non US company pays me directly when I work outside of the US. That’s what I owe the US government for their services I receive as a US citizen regardless of where my business activity took place. You think it’s stupid and anti competitive. I think that it’s a race to the bottom otherwise and fully support the current model (although 35% is a tad too high; 20-25% is more reasonable IMHO).
- wbl 9y ago
  There is only one other country that agrees with you: Eritria. Almost all other countries tax only residents.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - toomuchtodo 9y ago
    To each country their own model. This works for us. Probably helps to be one of the largest economies in the world. You get to make your own rules at that scale.
    - wbl 9y ago
      Remember Boris Johnson? Why should he have to pay taxes to a country he had no real connection to? What real purpose does that serve?
      - toomuchtodo 9y ago
        There is a solution to that: renounce your citizenship and remove your country’s obligation to you, removing your liability as a citizen.
        wbl 9y ago
        Boris Johnson couldn't do that until he paid huge amounts in penalties for a citizenship hr was unaware of. He consumed no US services. Why should he be taxed?
        toomuchtodo 9y ago
        Is that the gentleman who mangled housing in London and swindled the UK into voting for Brexit with lies (and then washed his hands of it all and walked away)? Hard to feel sorry for a person of such character.
        valuearb 9y ago
        If you refuse to support of a basic human right because of the character of just one of the persons needing those rights, what does that say about you?
        toomuchtodo 9y ago
        To be free from taxation is not a human right (nor taxation with representation, see: Puerto Rico). I believe that’s where we’re not on the same page. Society has a cost, and while the current structure isn’t perfect, it’s the least terrible solution we’ve attempted. We previously would take taxes by force remember.
        valuearb 9y ago
        Whose “we” friend? If you think it’s ok that someone who has never lived in a country can be taxed as a citizen against their will by that country, then you can’t believe in any individual rights.
    - valuearb 9y ago
      Except it doesn’t work for us. It makes the US a lousy place to invest and drives capital overseas. The US economy is huge because of most of its first 200 years, it’s been stagnant every since.
      - toomuchtodo 9y ago
        And yet, investment in the US continues unabated.
        valuearb 9y ago
        “investment” will continue as long as we run large deficits, if you count funding our rapidly growing federal debt as “investment”. It’s the “benefit” of our trade deficits.

toomuchtodo 9y ago

The same reason I owe the government taxes when a non US company pays me directly when I work outside of the US. That’s what I owe the US government for their services I receive as a US citizen regardless of where my business activity took place. You think it’s stupid and anti competitive. I think that it’s a race to the bottom otherwise and fully support the current model (although 35% is a tad too high; 20-25% is more reasonable IMHO).

wbl 9y ago
There is only one other country that agrees with you: Eritria. Almost all other countries tax only residents.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- toomuchtodo 9y ago
  To each country their own model. This works for us. Probably helps to be one of the largest economies in the world. You get to make your own rules at that scale.
  - wbl 9y ago
    Remember Boris Johnson? Why should he have to pay taxes to a country he had no real connection to? What real purpose does that serve?
    - toomuchtodo 9y ago
      There is a solution to that: renounce your citizenship and remove your country’s obligation to you, removing your liability as a citizen.
      - wbl 9y ago
        Boris Johnson couldn't do that until he paid huge amounts in penalties for a citizenship hr was unaware of. He consumed no US services. Why should he be taxed?
        toomuchtodo 9y ago
        Is that the gentleman who mangled housing in London and swindled the UK into voting for Brexit with lies (and then washed his hands of it all and walked away)? Hard to feel sorry for a person of such character.
        valuearb 9y ago
        If you refuse to support of a basic human right because of the character of just one of the persons needing those rights, what does that say about you?
        toomuchtodo 9y ago
        To be free from taxation is not a human right (nor taxation with representation, see: Puerto Rico). I believe that’s where we’re not on the same page. Society has a cost, and while the current structure isn’t perfect, it’s the least terrible solution we’ve attempted. We previously would take taxes by force remember.
        valuearb 9y ago
        Whose “we” friend? If you think it’s ok that someone who has never lived in a country can be taxed as a citizen against their will by that country, then you can’t believe in any individual rights.
  - valuearb 9y ago
    Except it doesn’t work for us. It makes the US a lousy place to invest and drives capital overseas. The US economy is huge because of most of its first 200 years, it’s been stagnant every since.
    - toomuchtodo 9y ago
      And yet, investment in the US continues unabated.
      - valuearb 9y ago
        “investment” will continue as long as we run large deficits, if you count funding our rapidly growing federal debt as “investment”. It’s the “benefit” of our trade deficits.