5 ms·

Please show me the studies that suggest people would arrange kidnapping of their children for tax improvement if the IRS hadn't put this in the codes.

motoxpro 5y ago
I think it's similar to people adopting kids for the payment. Nothing to stop these people from then arranging for a "kidknapping" afterward. Some tangential articles to show that people exploit children for money. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/25/how-an-adoption-broker-cashed-in-on-prospective-parents-dreams https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/25/how-an-adoptio... https://www.npr.org/2019/10/09/768533784/arizona-official-arrested-in-multi-million-dollar-baby-mill-adoption-fraud-schem https://www.npr.org/2019/10/09/768533784/arizona-official-ar...
darawk 5y ago
Every study ever done on demand curves for literally anything shows that they consistently slope downwards, with the exception of Veblen goods, which kidnapped children most certainly are not.
- dragonwriter 5y ago
  > Every study ever done on demand curves for literally anything shows that they consistently slope downwards, with the exception of Veblen goods Since Veblen goods are defined as anything where the demand curve slopes upward, that would only be a result of an empirical study if the study was designed to test, and strong enough to confidently disprove, the existence of goods with a flat demand curve. But it's not meaningful in any case. > Veblen goods, which kidnapped children most certainly are not. [citation needed]
  - darawk 5y ago
    > Since Veblen goods are defined as anything where the demand curve slopes upward, that would only be a result of an empirical study if the study was designed to test, and strong enough to confidently disprove, the existence of goods with a flat demand curve. But it's not meaningful in any case. Look at the other things that are Veblen goods. They are status symbols. Handbags, rare cars, etc. Kidnapped children are clearly not a member of this category. > [citation needed] Please. This is a ludicrous demand for rigor, and not how science actually works.
    - dragonwriter 5y ago
      > Look at the other things that are Veblen goods. They are status symbols. Handbags, rare cars, etc. Kidnapped children are clearly not a member of this category. Captives and slaves, which kidnapped children are the first and often also the second, can be either tools or status symbols (or both simultaneously). Obviously, flagrantly illegal (and not wink-wink-nudge-nudge tolerated in public) goods tend to only be status symbols in particular criminal subcultures, but those subcultures very much exist.
      - darawk 5y ago
        > Captives and slaves, which kidnapped children are the first and often also the second, can be either tools or status symbols (or both simultaneously). Yes, that's true. But that's the wrong side of the transaction. This IRS policy is disincentivizing false kidnapping. Not actual kidnapping. The IRS policy is designed to prevent you from claiming a child as a dependent indefinitely after they have been kidnapped. So, for this to be a Veblen good, it'd have to be a status symbol in your social circle to have had a child kidnapped from you.

motoxpro 5y ago

I think it's similar to people adopting kids for the payment. Nothing to stop these people from then arranging for a "kidknapping" afterward. Some tangential articles to show that people exploit children for money. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/25/how-an-adoption-broker-cashed-in-on-prospective-parents-dreams https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/25/how-an-adoptio... https://www.npr.org/2019/10/09/768533784/arizona-official-arrested-in-multi-million-dollar-baby-mill-adoption-fraud-schem https://www.npr.org/2019/10/09/768533784/arizona-official-ar...

darawk 5y ago

Every study ever done on demand curves for literally anything shows that they consistently slope downwards, with the exception of Veblen goods, which kidnapped children most certainly are not.

dragonwriter 5y ago
> Every study ever done on demand curves for literally anything shows that they consistently slope downwards, with the exception of Veblen goods Since Veblen goods are defined as anything where the demand curve slopes upward, that would only be a result of an empirical study if the study was designed to test, and strong enough to confidently disprove, the existence of goods with a flat demand curve. But it's not meaningful in any case. > Veblen goods, which kidnapped children most certainly are not. [citation needed]
- darawk 5y ago
  > Since Veblen goods are defined as anything where the demand curve slopes upward, that would only be a result of an empirical study if the study was designed to test, and strong enough to confidently disprove, the existence of goods with a flat demand curve. But it's not meaningful in any case. Look at the other things that are Veblen goods. They are status symbols. Handbags, rare cars, etc. Kidnapped children are clearly not a member of this category. > [citation needed] Please. This is a ludicrous demand for rigor, and not how science actually works.
  - dragonwriter 5y ago
    > Look at the other things that are Veblen goods. They are status symbols. Handbags, rare cars, etc. Kidnapped children are clearly not a member of this category. Captives and slaves, which kidnapped children are the first and often also the second, can be either tools or status symbols (or both simultaneously). Obviously, flagrantly illegal (and not wink-wink-nudge-nudge tolerated in public) goods tend to only be status symbols in particular criminal subcultures, but those subcultures very much exist.
    - darawk 5y ago
      > Captives and slaves, which kidnapped children are the first and often also the second, can be either tools or status symbols (or both simultaneously). Yes, that's true. But that's the wrong side of the transaction. This IRS policy is disincentivizing false kidnapping. Not actual kidnapping. The IRS policy is designed to prevent you from claiming a child as a dependent indefinitely after they have been kidnapped. So, for this to be a Veblen good, it'd have to be a status symbol in your social circle to have had a child kidnapped from you.