4 ms·

I know this is a bit OT, but the startup world has a fairly strong libertarian ethos, so I'm particularity interested in getting your feedback. Why do most Amer

I know this is a bit OT, but the startup world has a fairly strong libertarian ethos, so I'm particularity interested in getting your feedback. Why do most Americans hate paying their taxes and go to such extreme measures to minimize the amount of tax they pay?

b6 12y ago
> Why do most Americans hate paying their taxes and go to such extreme measures to minimize the amount of tax they pay? Hmm, it seems hard to know for certain, but I don't think it's true that "most" Americans "hate" paying taxes and go to "extreme" measures to minimize them. I think it's closer to the truth to say that many Americans have a general feeling that at a significant fraction of the money they spend in taxes goes toward projects that don't benefit them, or maybe even toward projects they oppose. I think many, if not most, Americans feel as if they have no meaningful way to influence the federal government. I think there's also a feeling that in general, it would be better for government to be smaller, closer, and more direct.
Quequau 12y ago
The theory I've created since being an expat is: The United States government spends an extraordinary amount of money on stuff that's not really tangible, everything from gargantuan military to corporate level subsidies and interest payments on debt. The ways taxes are now collected have shuffled the obvious burden to individuals earning more than about $640K per year in real wages. The United States has, for decades, ignored & postponed maintenance, repair, and upgrades to infrastructure like Water, Sewer, Roads, Bridges, Rail, Power, and Communication and public facilities like schools, parks, and libraries. The United States is not number one. Not in any of the important metrics about societies that actually matter to regular people. So, thinking about the average Joe who's paying way more than his parents did in taxes and what does he get for it in return? Not a lot that is visible or even desirable (after all, he's not yet retired and receiving any benefits from Social Security or Medicare) and meanwhile all those things that are desirable and/or visible are in a state of disarray, disrepair, or disrepute. Even the phrase "Good enough enough for government work" has been twisted into its opposite at this point. Overlay all that on to how obviously disconnected the American political system is from regular Americans and the end result is an alienation which manifested itself in folks not liking to pay taxes.
- billhendricksjr 12y ago
  Feeling disconnected from how one's taxes are spent is an excellent point.

b6 12y ago

> Why do most Americans hate paying their taxes and go to such extreme measures to minimize the amount of tax they pay? Hmm, it seems hard to know for certain, but I don't think it's true that "most" Americans "hate" paying taxes and go to "extreme" measures to minimize them. I think it's closer to the truth to say that many Americans have a general feeling that at a significant fraction of the money they spend in taxes goes toward projects that don't benefit them, or maybe even toward projects they oppose. I think many, if not most, Americans feel as if they have no meaningful way to influence the federal government. I think there's also a feeling that in general, it would be better for government to be smaller, closer, and more direct.

Quequau 12y ago

The theory I've created since being an expat is: The United States government spends an extraordinary amount of money on stuff that's not really tangible, everything from gargantuan military to corporate level subsidies and interest payments on debt. The ways taxes are now collected have shuffled the obvious burden to individuals earning more than about $640K per year in real wages. The United States has, for decades, ignored & postponed maintenance, repair, and upgrades to infrastructure like Water, Sewer, Roads, Bridges, Rail, Power, and Communication and public facilities like schools, parks, and libraries. The United States is not number one. Not in any of the important metrics about societies that actually matter to regular people. So, thinking about the average Joe who's paying way more than his parents did in taxes and what does he get for it in return? Not a lot that is visible or even desirable (after all, he's not yet retired and receiving any benefits from Social Security or Medicare) and meanwhile all those things that are desirable and/or visible are in a state of disarray, disrepair, or disrepute. Even the phrase "Good enough enough for government work" has been twisted into its opposite at this point. Overlay all that on to how obviously disconnected the American political system is from regular Americans and the end result is an alienation which manifested itself in folks not liking to pay taxes.

billhendricksjr 12y ago
Feeling disconnected from how one's taxes are spent is an excellent point.