6 ms·

Well, maybe if you stopped using the roads, or the airways, or the financial system, or doctors and hospitals, or anything else that is either funded by or func

Well, maybe if you stopped using the roads, or the airways, or the financial system, or doctors and hospitals, or anything else that is either funded by or functions efficiently and safely because of government regulations, it might be a fair deal. But since you can't live within a country without taking advantage of the benefits the government provides, such as rule of law and a living space that's relatively safe and has legal recourse for problems, good luck getting them to stop "stealing" from you. I guess you could move out to remote wilderness region, or some country with basically no government oversight. Somehow I doubt you'll be happier there, nor that you'll be able to make nearly as much money there as you would in a country with a strong government, even if none of the money us taxed at all. Taxes are the price we pay to support civilization, and as such it's an investment in our own current and future well-being, financial and otherwise. It's the implicit agreement you accept by continuing to live here. You can either lobby for a change, or attempt to move somewhere with different laws, but it's not theft, and acting like it is is willful ignorance of the reality we live in.

_red 8y ago
None of those things are funded by Income Tax. Roads for instance are funded by gasoline taxes and other DoT levies. The income tax basically only funds: Interest on the debt, and Entitlement programs (welfare, etc).
- mywittyname 8y ago
  Roads are federally funded from the general fund as well as from the insufficient gas tax. Entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are funded mostly through individual line items, and slightly through indirect means, such as interest paid to the programs by their bond holdings. Income taxes fund so much. You can't say it "funds only ..." because it funds almost everything. Sometimes directly, such as the military, but often times, it's indirect, such as college professors who receive grants from the NSF.
furgooswft13 8y ago
Funny, the federal income task pays for none of the items in your list. Roads are mostly state, airways are mostly private (and air transport is much cheaper and safer since deregulation), doctors and hospitals are outrageously expensive, a lot of Americans wish their taxes went towards that, they don't in any beneficial way. And...the financial system? I'm not sure what that means in this context but yea, government regulations sure saved that one from going to the shitter. Why is it that any criticism of our current tax regime is instantly expanded to AGAINST ALL TAXATION. I'm more than happy to pay taxes I feel are reasonable in amount and directly beneficial in some way. The federal income tax is not that. Not even close. It's a money black hole that goes towards god knows what, and is a huge drag on the middle class, the people Mr. IRS in the quote is supposedly helping.
- wahern 8y ago
  > Why is it that any criticism of our current tax regime is instantly expanded to AGAINST ALL TAXATION You originally said that all Federal taxes were confiscatory. But in your reply above you hedged by saying that most roads, etc were state funded.
  - furgooswft13 8y ago
    What are you reading exactly? Here's what I posted, it's short: > Oh yea? Stop stealing 30% of my income if you really want to be helpful. That means a ~30% levy on middle class income is pretty outrageous if that is the class of people you are intending to help. And the income tax is hardly the only federal tax. The state income tax is relatively minor compared to federal, and roads are funded via gas taxes and tolls, i.e. use taxes, which is far more direct in figuring out where your money is going. Sure the feds will kick in grants to assist with roads et al, but if that were all they were spending their income tax haul on they would not need such a high percentage to begin with. And to be clear, all taxes are confiscatory, by definition. If you don't pay you risk going to jail, and if you resist that it will be at gunpoint. Whether one thinks that confiscation is reasonable and beneficial overall is another issue. But it's not like you can just opt-out of taxes, or death.

_red 8y ago

None of those things are funded by Income Tax. Roads for instance are funded by gasoline taxes and other DoT levies. The income tax basically only funds: Interest on the debt, and Entitlement programs (welfare, etc).

mywittyname 8y ago
Roads are federally funded from the general fund as well as from the insufficient gas tax. Entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are funded mostly through individual line items, and slightly through indirect means, such as interest paid to the programs by their bond holdings. Income taxes fund so much. You can't say it "funds only ..." because it funds almost everything. Sometimes directly, such as the military, but often times, it's indirect, such as college professors who receive grants from the NSF.

furgooswft13 8y ago

Funny, the federal income task pays for none of the items in your list. Roads are mostly state, airways are mostly private (and air transport is much cheaper and safer since deregulation), doctors and hospitals are outrageously expensive, a lot of Americans wish their taxes went towards that, they don't in any beneficial way. And...the financial system? I'm not sure what that means in this context but yea, government regulations sure saved that one from going to the shitter. Why is it that any criticism of our current tax regime is instantly expanded to AGAINST ALL TAXATION. I'm more than happy to pay taxes I feel are reasonable in amount and directly beneficial in some way. The federal income tax is not that. Not even close. It's a money black hole that goes towards god knows what, and is a huge drag on the middle class, the people Mr. IRS in the quote is supposedly helping.

wahern 8y ago
> Why is it that any criticism of our current tax regime is instantly expanded to AGAINST ALL TAXATION You originally said that all Federal taxes were confiscatory. But in your reply above you hedged by saying that most roads, etc were state funded.
- furgooswft13 8y ago
  What are you reading exactly? Here's what I posted, it's short: > Oh yea? Stop stealing 30% of my income if you really want to be helpful. That means a ~30% levy on middle class income is pretty outrageous if that is the class of people you are intending to help. And the income tax is hardly the only federal tax. The state income tax is relatively minor compared to federal, and roads are funded via gas taxes and tolls, i.e. use taxes, which is far more direct in figuring out where your money is going. Sure the feds will kick in grants to assist with roads et al, but if that were all they were spending their income tax haul on they would not need such a high percentage to begin with. And to be clear, all taxes are confiscatory, by definition. If you don't pay you risk going to jail, and if you resist that it will be at gunpoint. Whether one thinks that confiscation is reasonable and beneficial overall is another issue. But it's not like you can just opt-out of taxes, or death.