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It's insightful to see how many comments are about avoiding tax. Companies with an anti-society, screw-the-poor, not-my-problem attitude are exactly the kind of
by benjaminjosephw 5y ago
It's insightful to see how many comments are about avoiding tax. Companies with an anti-society, screw-the-poor, not-my-problem attitude are exactly the kind of companies that make the world a worse place for everyone - except shareholders and (sometimes) paying customers.
Tax is part of participation in democratic societies, intentionally avoiding it is immoral if you also enjoy the benefits of the same democratic system.
- wyager 5y agoIf a region has hostile or uncompetitive tax laws, people should be free to take their business elsewhere (literally). It has nothing to do with “participating in democracy” or whatever other moral window dressing you want to put on it.
- elric 5y agoPardon the ad hominem, but I would argue that your reply is moral window dressing instead. If you don't like your tax laws, you have two realistic options: voting against them, or moving. Reaping the benefits of the "uncompetitive tax laws" (e.g. good public infrastructure, or maybe good socialised healthcare, etc) while deliberately not contributing seems highly immoral.
- wyager 5y agoCorporate tax law taxes corporations, not individuals. Obviously I would still pay whatever individual tax was required where I live, but if I home a corporation elsewhere why would I pay for that where I happen to live physically? I’m paying taxes there because I’m using the corporate infrastructure, not for the dog parks or whatever.
- benjaminjosephw 5y agoExpecting "freedom" without anticipating any kind of societal responsibility is exactly what I'm talking about. Participating in society is about mutual responsibility, not just choice. Anti-social individualism permits this kind of thinking but I can't see a moral justification beyond self-interest.
- wyager 5y agoI don’t think your response is relevant, but ignoring that, I also don’t think my government is going to spend the tax money it squeezes out of me in a socially beneficial way. If I thought they would spend the money productively I would be less driven to avoid unreasonable tax burdens.
- benjaminjosephw 5y agoYou are denying the legitimacy of democratic public spending because you think it's not productive enough. Your position undermines democratic structures of governance. If the problem really is with how governments spend money, you should be looking for political change instead of a faux-protest that justifies blatant self-interest.
- wyager 5y ago> Your position undermines democratic structures of governance You say this as if it were manifestly a bad thing.