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> The idea is that people got rich in part due to all the nice infrastructure we have, and so we could tax some of the income they made off that infrastructure
by sbacic 5y ago
> The idea is that people got rich in part due to all the nice infrastructure we have, and so we could tax some of the income they made off that infrastructure to pay for it all.
This sounds solid until you realize that country B next door has lower taxes, better public services or in some cases - both. Does the GP question make sense then?
- taurath 5y agoAnd is less privatized for those public services, and doesn’t spend 5x what the rest of the word spends on a military industrial complex, and makes a lot of government income on natural resources.
- sbacic 5y agoI intentionally didn't want to name countries because this isn't about Canada or the US - it's a global issue and taxes (sadly) do not correlate to the level of public services.
- taurath 5y agoI’ll take the lifestyle and economic security of Western Europe over anything in the US.
- fallingknife 5y agoThe US spends 3.4% of gdp on the military. This is nowhere near 5x the world average
- taurath 5y agoI think you can find which stat I was pointing out, especially in real terms.
- KoftaBob 5y agoWhat would be an example of country B in your analogy, which fits those criteria, if we're talking in comparison/relation to the US?
- sbacic 5y agoI can't comment on the US in particular - I neither live there nor does my comment pertain to it specifically. Rather, it was an observation of two things: 1. That high taxes do not necessarily correlate to extensive and quality public services. 2. That it is possible to find a better deal by hopping across borders. Taken together, they put the whole "you need to pay back society" spiel into question. If you want an example, look at the EU. Taxes are uniformly high in the EU but there is a drastic difference in the quality of public services (and as a consequence, your chances in life).
- Kbelicius 5y ago> If you want an example, look at the EU. Taxes are uniformly high in the EU but there is a drastic difference in the quality of public services (and as a consequence, your chances in life). While taxes are uniformly high in the EU there is no such uniformity in size, population, gdp... making your point about taxes moot.
- hcknwscommenter 5y agoWe are talking about a US tax proposal. I'll bite, what is country B you are talking about that is next door and has better services and infrastructure and lower taxes? Heck, remove the "next door" requirement you put in there and I still think your statement is indefensible.