Raise Taxes on Rich to Reward True Job Creators: Nick Hanauer

[Mr Khan]

mrstickball said:

radishhead said:

I actually messed up a little bit - I meant to say $200,000. I actually hate the higher taxes in place in the UK - my household falls into the higher rate (40%), and it actually works out worse than if my father was in a job that paid £20,000 less - either way, I accept that it's a good thing for the economy, and it makes no sense why the richer americans get let off so lightly

If you hate your higher taxes, then why are you arguing for them for Americans?

It's not a matter of 'getting off so lightly'. Our actual tax rate for the wealthiest is 38%. Additionally, tax rates are entirely pertinent to what your government provides. For example, your postal system is horrendously inefficient and costs a lot of taxpayer money. You are paying higher taxes for less work. Comparatively, we are not - at least in that area.

The argument shouldn't be for higher taxes, but an honest discussion about what taxes should pay for, then decide exactly what kind of taxes are needed to pay for said services. As I've said earlier, there was a time in America and the UK that almost no one paid taxes, because the government simply engaged in the very basic needs for people. We should address the question of if that was beneficial or not.

This discussion is occurring all the time, but like so many financial matters, the democratic process prevents a clear answer from being either gained or acted upon with any sort of totality. I doubt not that surgical deregulation could benefit, just as a sort of big-picture keynesian system or even an enduring socialist one could be effective, but no-one has the discipline to follow through on any plans. Deregulation is applied like a hammer rather than a scalpel, keynesianism just increases the debt load at the worst of times, and socialism is mired down in croneyism