The Cellar - View Single Post - Before you spend your tax-relief check from the IRS...

elSicomoro · 07-24-2001, 08:23 PM

Actually, this got me thinking:

I think the city of Philadelphia should RAISE its sales tax--to 9% from 7%. It sounds a bit high, but given that New Orleans and Chicago have sales taxes of at least 10%, we wouldn't be the highest. (I don't know if counties here in the Commonwealth have the right to raise their taxes about the state minimum, but it's a thought.)

Take that extra money, and give it back in the form of discounting the wage tax, for both residents and non-residents that work in the city.

Now then...as a whole, there HAS to be some sort of healthy balance between the amount of taxes we are levied, and what we get for those dollars. If we tax too high (like Sweden and Canada), then our social welfare programs could fall into financial problems. But given what we're being taxed now, there is talk again of Social Security running out of money within this generation. (Of course, it doesn't help that when the Social Security Act was passed, few people lived to 65.)

So...what exactly is a fair tax? I'm not sure, but I know it's not the whole "flat tax" concept.

07-24-2001, 08:23 PM	#8
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	Actually, this got me thinking: I think the city of Philadelphia should RAISE its sales tax--to 9% from 7%. It sounds a bit high, but given that New Orleans and Chicago have sales taxes of at least 10%, we wouldn't be the highest. (I don't know if counties here in the Commonwealth have the right to raise their taxes about the state minimum, but it's a thought.) Take that extra money, and give it back in the form of discounting the wage tax, for both residents and non-residents that work in the city. Now then...as a whole, there HAS to be some sort of healthy balance between the amount of taxes we are levied, and what we get for those dollars. If we tax too high (like Sweden and Canada), then our social welfare programs could fall into financial problems. But given what we're being taxed now, there is talk again of Social Security running out of money within this generation. (Of course, it doesn't help that when the Social Security Act was passed, few people lived to 65.) So...what exactly is a fair tax? I'm not sure, but I know it's not the whole "flat tax" concept.