Hugh Johnson
Member
There are always "parasites". And something can be done. The unions pushed the US to have 90% marginal tax rates, capital controls ect. and this lead to the golden age of capitalism, when a man with no education could afford a family, a house, a car, yearly holiday, healthcare and to send his kids to school. Things can be done.Sorry I paraphrased what you said wrongly. I was probably thinking more along the line that because systems are corrupt, the burden falls on those who aren't corrupt to make up for lost tax revenues due to corruption. There are leechers and parasites that suck the life dry out of the hardworking people. And I hate that we can't do anything about it.
Bitcoin will become worthless the moment people decide not to buy it. Taxation makes guarantees that can never happen.I can see where money is a convenient way to engage in commerce and very easy to use as payment for taxes. Without money, it is very inconvenient to trade goods and services for other goods and services, lacking the portability and wide acceptability and the stability of value. But I fail to understand why taxes would provide a value guarantee to money.
This is emotional. "Feared hegemon" is also making sure cartel don't enslave you and take everything you have. Grow up.A monetary economy started well when notes were guaranteed by precious metals, which has value by virtue of their scarcity. But with it being abused by the use of fiat currency, the backing by precious metals has been replaced by the implied guarantee that you will not be killed by the US military. That has turned the monetary system into a quasi-scam where mickey mouse money is used for trading, as acceptance of the mickey mouse money is enforced by a feared hegemon.
Without taxes you have no society, nor money. Also they are collectively decided. Grow up.Extortion is also a cost of doing business. And it is a burden. If only the government were not corrupt, I would not see taxation as extortion.
I doubt you have looked very hard.Hongkong developed very well in a low taxation environment with full employment and services were not lacking. It was because government was efficient and not corrupt. I suppose Singapore operates on that same model. While these are small states, it is beyond proof of concept nonetheless. Compared to countries with very high taxes, it would be reasonable for people living in a low tax environment paired with efficient and effective government to see high taxation as a burden.
I have yet to see low taxation being associated with high unemployment and hostile regulations.
California has a high standard of living. Papua New Guinea has no relationship to our societies. Nordic countries have a very high tax rates, and the highest quality of living in the world.I think the real difference is how corruption is kept under control. You can have a low taxation environment and see people have a low quality of life, just as you can have a high taxation environment with similar poor outcomes. I can probably use Papua New Guinea as an example of the former, and California as an example of the latter.
Capital is not corrupt. It is doing what it naturally does. It must be kept in check like a predatory beast, if a lion kills and eats a zebra, it's not corrupt, it is simply acting in its nature.Yes, and that's why free trade does not serve the people well. Since the world is so large already, there really is no compelling reason to continue with free trade. In a smaller more local economy, there is enough economies of scale that can be mustered to keep the cost of production low enough, and there are enough competitors to keep business honest with their margins. And there would be enough work from all sectors from agriculture to manufacturing to services to keep people gainfully employed and to accumulate savings and capital.
Capital is corrupt. Unions as well. Trust is important in a system that seeks to serve all. That trust is lost, and the economy suffers.
Trust is the result not the effect. Would you trust a killer and a rapist with legal immunity ? No. Trust is the result of effective policing and regulation.