5 ms·

If a group of people is allowed to consistently get away with not paying their taxes, then fairly quickly, just by the operation of the monetary system, they wi

by neffy 7y ago

If a group of people is allowed to consistently get away with not paying their taxes, then fairly quickly, just by the operation of the monetary system, they will be the only people with any money. The real question is, are these really the people you want in control?

huffmsa 7y ago
No, the real question is why do you think that "the government" is entitled to a percentage of your money, and why you think they can spend it better than the private sector.
- ykevinator 7y ago
  Because they pay for sewage and libraries
  - GarrisonPrime 7y ago
    Much less efficiently than the private sector could.
- huffmsa 7y ago
  Unless you pay a private firm to drill a well and put a septic tank in the ground. Cost a few thousand dollars, and a few hundred every few years to have them come and pump the tank. I pay Amazon ~$10 a month for access to more reading, listening and video content than most major university libraries have access too. No late fees either. Of course sewage is better handled at the municipality level in dense areas, and I'm not okay with private firms having control over access to information, but Federal level governments are highly inefficient.
  - michaelmrose 7y ago
    Anyone who thinks Amazon is a fit replacement for libraries hasn't thought the matter through much. If one has 12-48k to pay rent this year a few hundred for a machine, about 1k for internet access then one can pay 10 a month to access a worse collection a homeless man could check out at the library. Access to the rest of human knowledge is available for 10 to 100 a pop.
    - huffmsa 7y ago
      A cellphone, a cheap data plan + prime will run you ~$500 at the most. Or ~$1.50 a day. And you get the rest of the internets knowledge included. No hours of operation, no librarians giving you dirty looks
- wincy 7y ago
  Because someone at some point started thinking that social outcasts who are wholly unable to maintain even the most tenuous of social connections/support networks shouldn’t starve in the streets with their children, and instead of charity the government can be seen as “the good guy” by just giving out stolen money instead of money freely given. It weakens the power of churches, makes the politicians more powerful since they’re controlling the bread and circuses. It’s a win win for those in power.
- neffy 7y ago
  Well I´ve worked in the private sector most of my life, and I have observed it to be well staffed with human beings. And human beings, in my experience, can be lazy, venal, honourable or hardworking, in both the private and the government sector. But the last time I checked, the private sector only cared about the people with money, whereas the government is required to care about everybody.
  - huffmsa 7y ago
    But that means the private sector only has to focus on what makes them money,and they must do it well, or else they go away.
wincy 7y ago
I’d rather no one be threatened with prison for not paying taxes. I don’t think the state (or anyone else) should be able to throw you in prison because you haven’t paid up. It’s just the modern day threat of debtors prison.
- DFHippie 7y ago
  How many people are actually in prison for refusing to pay taxes? How does this compare to the number of people who have suffered some penalty for refusing to pay taxes? What should be done about people who Bartleby the Scrivener their way out of a legal obligation?
LessDmesg 7y ago
It's not about "getting away", it's about the governments being broke. There is no way to repay the 100% of GDP in debt for the Western governments, and the current pension and welfare programs are doomed. They can tax the hell out of companies but that will turn the West into a quaint XVIIth century villageland with horse-carriages while Asia becomes the epicenter of technology, industry and civilization. The climate religion is just the apoptosis of the Western civilization, it will not and cannot save the climate (even if one were to believe that it needs saving). Chinese and Indian coal stations don't care about Greta Thunberg.
- AJ007 7y ago
  Yes they can, it’s called inflating away the debt - presuming it isn’t debt issued in a foreign currency.
- neffy 7y ago
  You think the Chinese banking system doesn´t have these issues as well? They introduced loan securitization a few years ago, and their system does not have anywhere close to the flexibility or tolerance for dissent they are going to need to deal with the issues that is creating for them.

by neffy 7y ago

huffmsa 7y ago

No, the real question is why do you think that "the government" is entitled to a percentage of your money, and why you think they can spend it better than the private sector.

ykevinator 7y ago
Because they pay for sewage and libraries
- GarrisonPrime 7y ago
  Much less efficiently than the private sector could.
huffmsa 7y ago
Unless you pay a private firm to drill a well and put a septic tank in the ground. Cost a few thousand dollars, and a few hundred every few years to have them come and pump the tank. I pay Amazon ~$10 a month for access to more reading, listening and video content than most major university libraries have access too. No late fees either. Of course sewage is better handled at the municipality level in dense areas, and I'm not okay with private firms having control over access to information, but Federal level governments are highly inefficient.
- michaelmrose 7y ago
  Anyone who thinks Amazon is a fit replacement for libraries hasn't thought the matter through much. If one has 12-48k to pay rent this year a few hundred for a machine, about 1k for internet access then one can pay 10 a month to access a worse collection a homeless man could check out at the library. Access to the rest of human knowledge is available for 10 to 100 a pop.
  - huffmsa 7y ago
    A cellphone, a cheap data plan + prime will run you ~$500 at the most. Or ~$1.50 a day. And you get the rest of the internets knowledge included. No hours of operation, no librarians giving you dirty looks
wincy 7y ago
Because someone at some point started thinking that social outcasts who are wholly unable to maintain even the most tenuous of social connections/support networks shouldn’t starve in the streets with their children, and instead of charity the government can be seen as “the good guy” by just giving out stolen money instead of money freely given. It weakens the power of churches, makes the politicians more powerful since they’re controlling the bread and circuses. It’s a win win for those in power.
neffy 7y ago
Well I´ve worked in the private sector most of my life, and I have observed it to be well staffed with human beings. And human beings, in my experience, can be lazy, venal, honourable or hardworking, in both the private and the government sector. But the last time I checked, the private sector only cared about the people with money, whereas the government is required to care about everybody.
- huffmsa 7y ago
  But that means the private sector only has to focus on what makes them money,and they must do it well, or else they go away.

wincy 7y ago

I’d rather no one be threatened with prison for not paying taxes. I don’t think the state (or anyone else) should be able to throw you in prison because you haven’t paid up. It’s just the modern day threat of debtors prison.

DFHippie 7y ago
How many people are actually in prison for refusing to pay taxes? How does this compare to the number of people who have suffered some penalty for refusing to pay taxes? What should be done about people who Bartleby the Scrivener their way out of a legal obligation?

LessDmesg 7y ago

It's not about "getting away", it's about the governments being broke. There is no way to repay the 100% of GDP in debt for the Western governments, and the current pension and welfare programs are doomed. They can tax the hell out of companies but that will turn the West into a quaint XVIIth century villageland with horse-carriages while Asia becomes the epicenter of technology, industry and civilization. The climate religion is just the apoptosis of the Western civilization, it will not and cannot save the climate (even if one were to believe that it needs saving). Chinese and Indian coal stations don't care about Greta Thunberg.

AJ007 7y ago
Yes they can, it’s called inflating away the debt - presuming it isn’t debt issued in a foreign currency.
neffy 7y ago
You think the Chinese banking system doesn´t have these issues as well? They introduced loan securitization a few years ago, and their system does not have anywhere close to the flexibility or tolerance for dissent they are going to need to deal with the issues that is creating for them.