Thread: Tax discrimination

The history of taxation is a history of expedience and convenience. Tax that which is most easy to collect and difficult to avoid.

We should return to first principles. What is taxation all about?
The purpose of taxation is to elicit funds from the economy. It is desirable that it do so in a manner that impedes economic and social advance the least.

Since there is no way to know without hindsight which economic activity is more beneficial it might be best if all economic activity was taxed the same and the decision of benefit left to other, more social arbiters.

No tax fits the bill better than a transaction tax since it taxes all economic activity at the same rate. Since there are no technological impediments to collecting such a tax there is really nothing but the inertia of the venal and grossly corrupt political system to impede its implementation.

Originally Posted by unrealist42

The history of taxation is a history of expedience and convenience. Tax that which is most easy to collect and difficult to avoid.

Land taxes are so easy to collect and difficult to avoid that they were used successfully even in ancient societies where hardly anyone could read.

We should return to first principles. What is taxation all about?
The purpose of taxation is to elicit funds from the economy. It is desirable that it do so in a manner that impedes economic and social advance the least.

The two most fundamental and widely accepted criteria of sound tax design: ability to pay, and beneficiary pay.

Since there is no way to know without hindsight which economic activity is more beneficial it might be best if all economic activity was taxed the same and the decision of benefit left to other, more social arbiters.

Why assume you can only tax economic activity? Why not tax idle ownership?

No tax fits the bill better than a transaction tax since it taxes all economic activity at the same rate.

But taxing economic activity discourages economic activity. Duh.

Since there are no technological impediments to collecting such a tax

Joke, right?

there is really nothing but the inertia of the venal and grossly corrupt political system to impede its implementation.

That and the fact that it is a stupid idea.

Originally Posted by Roy L

Land taxes are so easy to collect and difficult to avoid that they were used successfully even in ancient societies where hardly anyone could read.

Ancient societies? Excellent point. Of course in modern societies land taxes just aren't that important and they shouldn't be exaggerated

Originally Posted by Reiver

Ancient societies? Excellent point. Of course in modern societies land taxes just aren't that important and they shouldn't be exaggerated

Actually, quite modest land taxes have had very large beneficial effects in modern economies as well. And it would be difficult to exaggerate the importance of the concept of recovering publicly created value for public purposes and benefit rather than confiscating privately created value and giving the publicly created value away as a welfare subsidy.

Originally Posted by Roy L

Actually, quite modest land taxes have had very large beneficial effects in modern economies as well.

Evidence for that? Please make sure you provide the full reference. Cheers!

Originally Posted by Reiver

Evidence for that? Please make sure you provide the full reference. Cheers!

I've done that before, as you know; no matter what kind of evidence or "reference" I provide you, it's never good enough to "count." I've provided full references to papers in peer-reviewed academic journals, and they weren't good enough for you because I didn't put them in some sort of double-reverse-overhand-Oxbridge-canonical-citation format. I'm not going around that carousel with you again.

Originally Posted by Roy L

I've done that before, as you know

No you haven't. Indeed, we both know that you cannot support your previous comment with any credible evidence. Your stance could just as well come from David Icke

Originally Posted by Reiver

No you haven't.

That is a lie.

Indeed, we both know that you cannot support your previous comment with any credible evidence.

No, we both know that I have already done so many times, and you simply concoct excuses to ignore and dismiss all evidence presented.

Your stance could just as well come from David Icke

Beneath all contempt.

Originally Posted by Roy L

That is a lie.

Provide one reference that supports "land taxes have had very large beneficial effects in modern economies as well". Don't go back to your "you fib, you liar" routine designed only to ignore content

Why should anyone have a problem with economic forms of discrimination, under any form of Capitalism?