4 ms·

Every tax dodger, every tax evader claims they have paid tax. Every single one. Is that what this is? I don't pay income tax with my offshore family trust stru

by harry8 7y ago

Every tax dodger, every tax evader claims they have paid tax. Every single one. Is that what this is? I don't pay income tax with my offshore family trust structure but it's legal and I pay sales tax when I spend - those are the only facts that matter the rest is unseemly. My company doesn't pay tax but it's legal and I pay my employees and /they/ pay income tax - those are the only facts that matter and the rest is just snark. Leave it out. Leave it right out. All the way out. Then and only then can it be discussed what constitutes good tax policy and what is trying to be achieved with that policy. Billionaires whining about paying a legal tax that once paid leaves them with more money than they can possibly spend in their lifetimes and those of their children makes me want to spit on my hands, hoist the black flag and begin... - and /I/ tend toward libertarian.

nickpp 7y ago
If they dodged taxes, lock them up. Aren't you living under the Rule of Law?!
- verinus 7y ago
  I think you have a very one- sided and naive point of view. White-collar crimes, especially tax evasion a notoriously difficult to prove area.
  - nickpp 7y ago
    I didn't think of that. So if it's so difficult to prove and we'll all be paying the tax anyway, then logically we should all practice tax evasion, right?!
- harry8 7y ago
  Tax dodging is entirely legal. Eg spend on business consumable this year as a tax expense to lower taxable income and avoid some tax this year. Tax evasion is the same sort of thing, but not legal which is why I mentioned both. Which are legal and which are not is entirely unclear, the wealthy and large co.s employ lawyers and accountants to run cases tying up the legal system at vast expense when caught. Sometimes they're not guilty (at least of the charges brought) too. If you bring a lawyer they'll bring 50. Then hire yours. You've seen this, it's uncontraversial that it happens and it's entirely legal. Moral? Desirable? That's up to you. It's difficult to fight tax evasion but rather important unless you want to give up on a system of taxation altogether, which has issues. When you look at an entity with a large income and very little tax paid you know it's one or both of tax evasion and tax avoidance. Apple. Evasion or avoidance? Which is a fancy way of asking "Is what they're doing actually legal? I can't do that, why can they?" Trump doesn't pay tax because he inherited a billion dollars and thinks he's smart. I know a lot of people who really are /very/ smart, who didn't inherit a billion dollars who pay their tax. They can't decide not to like Trump did. Rule of law. Equality before the law. Sure. Precisely. So what should the law be? What should the tax system be designed to achieve? What are the consequences of each particular trade-off you consider? Is there some new and better way worth considering or is it just hype to disaster? And now we're at the starting point of a sensible discussion about tax policy.

by harry8 7y ago

nickpp 7y ago

If they dodged taxes, lock them up. Aren't you living under the Rule of Law?!

verinus 7y ago
I think you have a very one- sided and naive point of view. White-collar crimes, especially tax evasion a notoriously difficult to prove area.
- nickpp 7y ago
  I didn't think of that. So if it's so difficult to prove and we'll all be paying the tax anyway, then logically we should all practice tax evasion, right?!
harry8 7y ago
Tax dodging is entirely legal. Eg spend on business consumable this year as a tax expense to lower taxable income and avoid some tax this year. Tax evasion is the same sort of thing, but not legal which is why I mentioned both. Which are legal and which are not is entirely unclear, the wealthy and large co.s employ lawyers and accountants to run cases tying up the legal system at vast expense when caught. Sometimes they're not guilty (at least of the charges brought) too. If you bring a lawyer they'll bring 50. Then hire yours. You've seen this, it's uncontraversial that it happens and it's entirely legal. Moral? Desirable? That's up to you. It's difficult to fight tax evasion but rather important unless you want to give up on a system of taxation altogether, which has issues. When you look at an entity with a large income and very little tax paid you know it's one or both of tax evasion and tax avoidance. Apple. Evasion or avoidance? Which is a fancy way of asking "Is what they're doing actually legal? I can't do that, why can they?" Trump doesn't pay tax because he inherited a billion dollars and thinks he's smart. I know a lot of people who really are /very/ smart, who didn't inherit a billion dollars who pay their tax. They can't decide not to like Trump did. Rule of law. Equality before the law. Sure. Precisely. So what should the law be? What should the tax system be designed to achieve? What are the consequences of each particular trade-off you consider? Is there some new and better way worth considering or is it just hype to disaster? And now we're at the starting point of a sensible discussion about tax policy.