This is where I get hung up. 1) If there’s no other solution then arguing whether taxation = theft is meaningless anyway. 2) If taxation is a duty then how can it be immoral or wrong (Remember Theft is pretty much universally wrong and immoral)?
To me, these concepts are like oil and water. I don’t understand how you can have a moral obligation (duty) to do something immoral (theft via taxation).
Anarcho-capitalism only exists in the minds of the people that subscribe to it. Said theory has never and will never exist in real life.
Not according to our currently sitting president (for like the next hour):
"GIBSON: And in each instance, when the rate dropped, revenues from the tax increased; the government took in more money. And in the 1980s, when the tax was increased to 28 percent, the revenues went down.
So why raise it at all, especially given the fact that 100 million people in this country own stock and would be affected?
OBAMA: Well, Charlie, what I’ve said is that I would look at raising the capital gains tax for purposes of fairness.
We saw an article today which showed that the top 50 hedge fund managers made $29 billion last year – $29 billion for 50 individuals. And part of what has happened is that those who are able to work the stock market and amass huge fortunes on capital gains are paying a lower tax rate than their secretaries. That’s not fair."
There is a sizable portion of politicians that use taxes as punishment event at the detriment of revenue.
Ok, that I seriously don’t understand. The politicians out in left field see earning to much as a bad behavior. They use tax law to stop the “bad behavior” even if it means a loss of revenue for the government. That’s a punishment if there ever was one. Taxes and fines are wielded with largely overlapping motives by the government. Obama pretty much flat out said he wanted to punish people for amassing too much wealth. Even if you disagree with him, that’s still what their motive is.
I don’t know of a single loony lefty that has said earning too much is a bad thing. What they normally say is that those that earn the most don’t pay their fair share and so taxes geared towards that ideology, no matter how misguided, aren’t to punish earners, but to promote fairness or the “General Welfare” if you will. It’s absurdly misguided, true, but that’s the reason they’ll give.
Now, would a rational person see that as a punishment? Perhaps, but I think there are a couple of issues to work out. For one, the CapGains rate is still lower than the ordinary rates once you hit a certain level of earnings. So how can a lower rate, even though it was raised, be considered a punishment? Obviously, if you feel taxation is a punishment then, ya, I get it. Humor me for a second and pretend that you feel taxation isn’t a punishment on its face. How is a lower rate for one activity (cap investment) a punishment when earning ordinary income would actually cost you more in taxes? Doesn’t that encourage capital investment?
Every time you have sex you need to get consent from the person who you are having sex with. If a woman consents to sex once it doesn’t mean you have consent to fuck her 10 years later when she’s married to another man.
I think Obama made it very clear he sees taxes as a way to punish. He is making things “Fair” in the sense that you would take ill gotten gains from a criminal or punish someone who cheated in a game.
Nonsense, taxation isn’t punishment. It’s just another law designed to achieve some public end. There’s no ethical distinction from a consent-or-not perspective.
Suppose the U.S. follows this concept but Russia does not.
Russia builds a big army while the U.S. cannot because it lacks the funds. The individual citizens of the U.S. may be wealthy, but they just don’t want to give money to the federal government.
He said it is not fair for people to make too much money.
Unfair: not based on or behaving according to the principles of equality and justice.
It is unjust for people to have too much. It is a breach of justice for someone to amass too much wealth. So in the name of justice it should be taken away, even if it costs the government money to take it away.
I don’t think I’m the one reinterpreting based on my inferences. Yes, Obama thinks getting super rich is deserving of punishment.
“We saw an article today which showed that the top 50 hedge fund managers made $29 billion last year – $29 billion for 50 individuals.” - go listen to the interview. He makes it abundantly clear that he detests these 50 people and that 29 billion for 50 is a terrible thing.
You are back bending way to far again. It is unequivocally true that some Dems view taxes as a method of punishment. For example, the lack of insurance tax was called a fine by the dems. They called it a fine (a punishment) and the SCOTUS determined it was a tax.
