taxation

[henry quirk]

Hell if I know.

How one gets his or her money seems irrelevant to me, just as how one spends his or her money seems irrelevant to me.

This is why I favor some kind of simple, direct, no exemptions/no loopholes, point of purchase tax (to replace ALL others)...tax the transactions (ALL of them, for EVERYONE), not the method of making money, or the amount made, or way it's spent.

I know damn well that'll never happen (supposedly regressive on the 'poor'; the 'rich' pay like everyone else*; those in government don't get nearly the revenue they want).


*And the appetites of the 'rich' are, well, just plain more 'expensive' than those of the 'poor'...they'll pay more and they won't like it.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by henry quirk

snip--
This is why I favor some kind of simple, direct, no exemptions/no loopholes, point of purchase tax (to replace ALL others)...tax the transactions (ALL of them, for EVERYONE), not the method of making money, or the amount made, or way it's spent.

I know damn well that'll never happen (supposedly regressive on the 'poor'; the 'rich' pay like everyone else*; those in government don't get nearly the revenue they want).

--snip

I don't think this is a good idea, if you insist on REPLACE as the course of action. I think it is far better to have a tax base that is diversified, capital, consumption, property, use, etc. I'm not saying I want all these taxes, I'm saying I live in a state that has no income tax. Yay, no tax. Our state revenues are almost completely based on sales tax. That's great and all, but... in times like this our revenues are dropping dramatically. I am not lobbying in this post for MORE TAXES MORE TAXES MORE TAXES, I'm saying that large fluctuations in the revenue stream makes for practically impossible budgeting, and large changes in state services, including things that "everybody" wants, law enforcement, education, etc. There's talk of closing two prisons and letting murderers walk free. I shit you not.

Anyhow, my point is that a diversified "portfolio" is less likely to suffer dramatic and troublesome fluctuations.

Also, it's true that consumption taxes, VAT, sales, etc. are regressive, are more unfair, and I would like to minimize the unfairness as much as is practical.

[Lamplighter]

Originally Posted by henry quirk

Hell if I know.

How one gets his or her money seems irrelevant to me,
just as how one spends his or her money seems irrelevant to me.

This is why I favor some kind of simple, direct, no exemptions/no loopholes,
point of purchase tax (to replace ALL others)...tax the transactions (ALL of them, for EVERYONE),
not the method of making money, or the amount made, or way it's spent.

I know damn well that'll never happen
(supposedly regressive on the 'poor'; the 'rich' pay like everyone else*;
those in government don't get nearly the revenue they want).

*And the appetites of the 'rich' are, well, just plain more 'expensive' than those of the 'poor'..
they'll pay more and they won't like it.

OK, I'll bite and give you first rope...

Please explain WHY you favor POS taxation

Is it just the simplicity of the idea ?
Is it because it is regressive ?
Do you think all types of transactions should be taxed at the same rate ?
Do you see any situations where some taxation should be progressive ?
Some examples might be nice too
.
Oh yes, be prepared to defend your answers