4 ms·
Indeed, this is basically correct. The premise should be rephrased as ‘corporations and the wealthy should pay their fucking taxes so the government can provide
by Finnucane 7y ago
Indeed, this is basically correct. The premise should be rephrased as ‘corporations and the wealthy should pay their fucking taxes so the government can provide services.’
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- PaulDavisThe1st 7y agoWhich could be rephrased as "governments should write tax law such that corporations pay taxes, to help governments provide services". Granted, companies work hard to be devious. But when we allow them to spend their profits on a whole slew of stuff that reduces their tax rates to zero percent, it seems churlish to blame the companies. Government specifically waived taxes in order to encourage e.g. R&D and now we, the people, are paying the price of the details of a large raft of this sort of law making.
- Finnucane 7y agoNo, government waived taxes because wealthy donor as and corporate lobbyists pay politicians to give them good tax breaks.
- PaulDavisThe1st 7y agoGovernments use tax law all the time to create incentives and disincentives to various sorts of things. Governments also use tax law to reward specific groups of people, for reasons both honorable and nefarious. Identifying the motives for a given tax law is often quite difficult. Companies currently get to avoid most taxes on profits that are reinvested in activities that they certify as "research and developement". Is this possible because the government wants to encourage R&D or as a payoff to their political sponsors, or both? It's non-trivial to answer, but what's easy to say with certainty is that is an example of _how_ companies avoid paying taxes, and if you want to stop it, you need new tax laws which don't permit/encourage this.