From: qut@netcom.com (Dave Harman)
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 17:03:30 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Why I Pay Too Much in Taxes
In-Reply-To: <adb163b00102100471cc@[205.199.118.202]>
Message-ID: <199605050534.WAA14061@netcom14.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


> Not wanting to join in this bashing of taxes--my views are clear, as
> evidenced in the title of this thread--but I have to point out that I paid
> approximately 60% of everything I made last year to the tax collectors!
> This counts the Federal income tax (about 32%), the California income tax
> (about 11%), the "self-employment tax" (FICA) for some consulting I did
> (15%), property tax on my old residence ($2200), property tax on my new
> residence ($4200), sales tax on purchases (8.25%), gasoline taxes (about
> 30-40 cents per gallon), a special tax on my Ford Explorer ($300), and
> probably some miscellaneous other taxes I have neglected.
> 
> And of course the corporations that pay me dividends and whose stock price
> shows gains have _already_ paid roughly 45% or so in taxes, depending on
> how clever they were at allocating costs to minimize taxes. This is the
> famous "double taxation" of corporate earnings one hears about. Intel, for
> example, pays 45% of its considerable income in taxes, sends some of the
> remaining profits to me in the form of capital gains and dividends, and I
> then pay another 40% or so in income taxes on this share. The math is
> pretty simple...there ain't much left over. (The much-derided Laffer Curve
> is actually quite important here...when overall tax rates get high enough,
> people choose to do less work. Some of us even retire early.)

Although your viewpoint is well expressed, I feel you've
overlooked the possibility of socialism to solve the high
tax outrages detailed.

Socialism, a truly progressive economic system, would have
an actual graduated income tax, to discourage useless
make-work by the rich.

There are so many other benefits to patriotic socialism, it
would take a book the size of Das Kapitol just to list them.

For instance:

Taxes on trade, will act as a tonic on the national economy.

The tax on trade, of course, prevents it; relieving the
national security apparatus of 90% of its reason for being.

The state itself as a unifying theme, rather than patho
meanderings like crime, anti-racism, and religion.

Tcmay, you've already acted on your socialistic urges without
even knowing it; your successfully operating a free people's
spontaneous propaganda bureau.  Please develop this further
and thumb your nose at the members of your class.