The Problem with a flat national sales tax is that it hits the poor harder than the rich. Let's say that the average Jane needs a minimum of $800 a month or 9,600 a year to survive (housing food etc).
Now we will take 3 examples. Tom makes $15,000 a year, Sue makes 40,000 and Dick makes 1,000,000 a year. Each of them needs to spend $9,600.
That pretty mach screws Tom as it is. He is left ~$5,000 for discretionary spending which probably includes the fancy pasta, or a pair of shoes that will last.
Sue has about ~$35,000 for discretionary spending which will probably include everything tom spends his money on plus a little, say $10,000. However Sue has so much discretionary cash that she can save some and invest say ~25,000 which, with a flat sales tax, would not be taxed.
Dick is in a similar boat with Sue, when you have that much money, you can only spend so much on "stuff". Lets say he spends 5 times as much as Sue, ~100,000. After which Dick starts investing, which is not a sale and would not be taxed under a flat tax rate. So looking at the numbers it would appear that 100% Tom's $ would be taxed, a little over 50% of Sue's $ would be taxed and only 10% on dicks income would be taxed.
I have no qualms about paying taxes so long as they are just, which is not the same as the new definition of "fair" anymore. I just wish I could choose where the $ went. "Hmm, the space program gets $200 but I don't like funding the war on drugs so none for them, I like protect endangered species so they get $50 but I don't like subsidizing gas prices..."
Black and Whites - Birds that is
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911 Calls Linux
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· Score: 1
Kids are idiots incapable of making decisions. That is what we adults are for. Experience shows us this. Kids don't look both ways and are hit by trucks, they kill fellow students at school, and they play Sega and watch crappy movies instead of reading books and reciting poetry in coffee shops. Idiots. I don't even see why this is a ruckus, parents OWN children, why should children have any choices. They should be silent unless spoken too, they should do things because we the wise, "say so". We need not justify our actions, that we would be beneath our stature. Until of course they turn 18 and become mature and logical, when they start making intelligent decisions (but not yet about alcohol that takes 3 more years). Once the reach adulthood no pressure (violent, sex, pimples) can corrupt them, not access to drugs and guns and Porn, at 18 they can handle it. After all when was the last time you saw an adult say or do something stupid? In the late 1800's Laws we implemented protecting child from abuse. The laws applied in court were original written to prevent cruelty to animals. I think this entire debate makes the point that ignorance and stupidity are not exclusively the realm of the young.
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The Problem with a flat national sales tax is that it hits the poor harder than the rich. Let's say that the average Jane needs a minimum of $800 a month or 9,600 a year to survive (housing food etc).
Now we will take 3 examples. Tom makes $15,000 a year, Sue makes 40,000 and Dick makes 1,000,000 a year. Each of them needs to spend $9,600.
That pretty mach screws Tom as it is. He is left ~$5,000 for discretionary spending which probably includes the fancy pasta, or a pair of shoes that will last.
Sue has about ~$35,000 for discretionary spending which will probably include everything tom spends his money on plus a little, say $10,000. However Sue has so much discretionary cash that she can save some and invest say ~25,000 which, with a flat sales tax, would not be taxed.
Dick is in a similar boat with Sue, when you have that much money, you can only spend so much on "stuff". Lets say he spends 5 times as much as Sue, ~100,000. After which Dick starts investing, which is not a sale and would not be taxed under a flat tax rate. So looking at the numbers it would appear that 100% Tom's $ would be taxed, a little over 50% of Sue's $ would be taxed and only 10% on dicks income would be taxed.
I have no qualms about paying taxes so long as they are just, which is not the same as the new definition of "fair" anymore. I just wish I could choose where the $ went. "Hmm, the space program gets $200 but I don't like funding the war on drugs so none for them, I like protect endangered species so they get $50 but I don't like subsidizing gas prices..."
Linux - To Protect and Serve
Kids are idiots incapable of making decisions. That is what we adults are for. Experience shows us this. Kids don't look both ways and are hit by trucks, they kill fellow students at school, and they play Sega and watch crappy movies instead of reading books and reciting poetry in coffee shops. Idiots. I don't even see why this is a ruckus, parents OWN children, why should children have any choices. They should be silent unless spoken too, they should do things because we the wise, "say so". We need not justify our actions, that we would be beneath our stature. Until of course they turn 18 and become mature and logical, when they start making intelligent decisions (but not yet about alcohol that takes 3 more years). Once the reach adulthood no pressure (violent, sex, pimples) can corrupt them, not access to drugs and guns and Porn, at 18 they can handle it. After all when was the last time you saw an adult say or do something stupid? In the late 1800's Laws we implemented protecting child from abuse. The laws applied in court were original written to prevent cruelty to animals. I think this entire debate makes the point that ignorance and stupidity are not exclusively the realm of the young.