5 ms·
Why should they be taxed for the benefit of their customers? Aren't their customers paying them?
by yock 9y ago
Why should they be taxed for the benefit of their customers? Aren't their customers paying them?
- CydeWeys 9y agoModern society works by having everyone contribute for the greater good. One of the principal mechanisms by which this occurs is taxation and spending on government services. You go really far down the civilizational chain if you remove these mechanisms. Almost all the way down to primitivism.
- yock 9y ago> Modern society works by having everyone contribute for the greater good. Whose definition of "good" are we using? Clearly not mine, as my definition of "good" demands consent.
- CydeWeys 9y agoStop using the Internet for starters, then. Billions of dollars of tax money went into developing it.
- yock 9y agoThat's just foolish. I'm not going to forsake the benefit of something I'm forced to pay for. I can, however, still advocate for changes to that system. That isn't hypocrisy.
- CydeWeys 9y agoThe system is what allowed the existence of the medium you're using to argue against it. It is hypocritical to argue against the downsides of civilization while taking advantages of all of its benefits.
- winston_smith 9y agoBy that logic you couldn't argue against anything in our current system, since it all played a part in creating the life you live.
- icebraining 9y agoSo if a thief steals your car and leaves you his bicycle, it's hypocritical to criticize him while using the bike to get around? Or if you're forced to pay protection money by some gang, it's hypocritical to criticize them even if they do protect your business from other gangs? And is it hypocritical to live in the West and take advantage of all the benefits it gained from centuries of imperialism and exploitation, while criticizing that behavior? I'm not against taxation, but that's some BS logic.
- ubernostrum 9y agoYour attempt to make an analogy here doesn't hold up. The anti-tax position would be to want to keep your car but also get use of the bicycle whenever you want it, since the true taxation analogy would be both you and the other person granting use of your property to others. Unless you want to argue about people paying more in taxes than they (feel they) get in benefits. In which case, well, the most rabid anti-tax people generally are getting far more benefits than they pay for (and are busily re-rigging the tax system to tilt even more in their favor).
- icebraining 9y agoI'm not arguing for "the most rabid anti-tax people" and whatever their position may be. I'm arguing against a specific claim made by CydeWeys - that it's "hypocritical to argue against the downsides of civilization while taking advantages of all of its benefits" - and my analogies are specifically written to fit that claim. If the claim was that anti-tax people demand both not paying tax and that others do, then I wouldn't have posted. Although I'd say that just selfish, not hypocritical.
- 9y ago
- grasshopperpurp 9y agoYou'd be just like the current generation of Americans in power. Get fat off of all the rich government programs, then cut them as you no longer need them - forget the people who are currently in the position you once were. To me, it's disgusting and selfish, but America seems fine with it. America is doing fine, right? Oh wait . . .
- pnutjam 9y agoA certain base is required for customers to exist. It's most beneficial to pay a tiny amount towards this vs. having no customers.