Perhaps that is what it was meant to do.
It would explain much of China’s behavior during the pandemic.
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It would explain much of China’s behavior during the pandemic.
I’m sure there are.
But it was you that spoke of an equitable tax and the wealthy to pay.
So what exactly are you saying?
What exactly do you think this equitable tax is?
Who are the wealthy you expect to pay it?
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F_Marturana
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ThinkingSapien
Guest
Just remember, after the new year when people have taken time off to gather with friends and lived ones, the numbers will likely be much higher.
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tomarin
Guest
Stay positive, @ThinkingSapien!
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ThinkingSapien
Guest
I’m actually quite concerned. Even those among my social circles (including close family) that had previously been cautious now appear to have reached their limits. One is looking to go out of the country, another is now going to night clubs and parties. This time of the year is just not a good time for the loss of vigilance not only because of the weather and people staying in, but because of there being so much time for people to get gather for recreation and celebration.
I’ve got a few family members that were temporarily cohabitating just before COVID-19’s presence was recognized in the USA. Their stays have been extended because of COVID-19. And now, there are conflicts because not everyone within the same house are equally as concerned. There’s some raising pressure to kick people out in the interest of safe behaviours being enforced; it doesn’t matter how safe a person is being if someone else in their same house goes out partying.
One person in one house has already been infected. Thankfully, he was out of town when he got his positive test and had to quarantine there instead of coming back to the house in which my mother lives.
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tomarin
Guest
I was able to convince my wife we shouldn’t spend Christmas at my sister’s, in another state, so I’m ahead of the game.
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ThinkingSapien
Guest
No dice on my side. My wife still wants to see her parents. Her parents regularly take care of some grand kids that attend school in person. The grandchildren’s mother works in a mental health facility in which workers and patients are regularly testing as positive. I see a few likely paths of an infection to get to them and for her to bring it home to me.
I’ve gotten to occasionally see my parents in person, outside, with a mask on such as when I cut down a tree for my father. Since I see a likely pathway for an infection to work it’s way from this Christmas visit back to my parents by the way of me I am planning on not seeing my parent’s after Christmas. I would love to be able to see them, but I don’t want to roll the death-dice given how the odds of the game are becoming less favourable. My wife has already had a few people in her office that have died from the infection and a high school friend that, while no longer is considered infectious, continues to have breathing issues after his recovery.
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tomarin
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I don’t want to generalize, and I’m working from an admittedly small sample size, but when it comes to the holidays, I get the impression that the women-folk are more willing to bend the rules.
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ThinkingSapien
Guest
It’s hard for me to say. I know more women than men. The medical worker among them (one of my sisters) takes it seriously. Being a medical worker, she may be in a special class. It’s taken vigilance and effort to keep my mom (who lives with the medical worker sister) from going out to parties and other social events. It basically came down to “as long as you live in this house, you must live by the rules of this house.” A few others I know have been actively dating and trying to get a boyfriend. We’ve never had a lockdown for the state of Georgia and the attempts to have county or city lockdowns was quickly shut down and prohibited by the state.
I know one person that said unless she goes on a trip every three months she will feel depressed. I thought this was an exaggeration until one day she plainly stated that she has clinical depression (that revelation explained so many things!) and doesn’t want to take any medication for it. She’s now talking about saying just forget the pandemic and is looking to go to a beach in Mexico. For a number of reasons, I don’t quite understand the mindset.
I know one person that said unless she goes on a trip every three months she will feel depressed. I thought this was an exaggeration until one day she plainly stated that she has clinical depression (that revelation explained so many things!) and doesn’t want to take any medication for it. She’s now talking about saying just forget the pandemic and is looking to go to a beach in Mexico. For a number of reasons, I don’t quite understand the mindset.
I’m not an expert in the field of how to make a more equitable system but I can clearly see that that is needed because of facts like these.Motherwit:
I’m sure there are.
But it was you that spoke of an equitable tax and the wealthy to pay.
So what exactly are you saying?
What exactly do you think this equitable tax is?
Who are the wealthy you expect to pay it?
The richest 1% of Americans own 35% of the nation’s wealth. The bottom 80% own just 11% of the nation’s wealth.
The richest 1% pay an effective federal income tax rate of 24.7% in 2014; someone making an average of $75,000 is paying a 19.7% rate.
The average federal income tax rate of the richest 400 Americans was just 20 percent in 2009.
Taxing investment income at a much lower rate than salaries and wages are taxed loses $1.3 trillion over 10 years.
1,470 households reported income of more than $1 million in 2009 but paid zero federal income taxes on it.
CEOs of major corporations earn nearly 300 times more than an average worker.
30 percent of income inequality is due to unfair taxes and budget cuts to services and benefits.
The largest contributor to increasing income inequality has been changes in income from capital gains and dividends.
FACT SHEET: TAXING WEALTHY AMERICANS
The One Percent Are Cheating Us Out of a Quarter-Trillion Dollars in Taxes Every Year
That’s a quarter trillion dollars that should be for America.Then there has to be stronger legal measures to enforcing payment of taxes and for diddling the tax system unethically
Why do the ordinary Joe’s, see problems with welfare cheats and scammers on the bottom end of the scale but want to give the most obscenely wealthy among us a free pass and a pat on the back as they scam and exploit American capital to the tune of trillions? I just don’t get that logic.
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Petra202
Guest
??? Was that a question or an answer? The government gets it’s money from its citizens!!!
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Balto1
Guest
That’s odd, last time I created my own money I got a lengthy prison sentence.
I am all for a more equitable system.
Perhaps remove the income tax for a sales tax instead.
Check out the fair tax.
It has a few advantages.
For one, everyone is treated the same.
For another, it doesn’t set up any type of class envy since all pay in the same way.
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Balto1
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Sales tax is by far the most regressive way to raise revenues.
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Pattylt
Guest
As I am unfortunately an economic idiot, could you explain why that’s regressive? Thanks!
LeafByNiggle
Well-known member
As Balto1 has said, the flat rate sales tax (which this is) is very regressive. It shifts the tax burden off of the wealthy and places more of it on middle and lower income citizens. Since the wealthy are already doing phenomenally better than the lower income people (inequality has never been higher since the 1920’s) there is no reason to make the gap even worse. As for why the sales tax is regressive, lower income people spend a larger fraction of their income on consumable necessities (which are taxed) while the wealthy put most of their money in investments (which would not be taxed under the “fair tax”). It is no wonder they would love this new “simplified” tax. It is simpler. That is true. But simplicity all by itself is not a virtue. (Einstein supposed is quoted as saying that things should be made as simple as practical, but no simpler. Clearly there is a limit to how much benefit simplicity confers.)
See above.
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Balto1
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LeafByNiggle explained it well. As an example, by most measures Washington State has the most regressive tax system in the U.S. There’s no income tax, only sales tax, and as a result poor people spend a much higher percentage of their income on taxes than rich people. There have been efforts to institute an income tax (supported by the Washington State bishops) but they have failed so far.
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Pattylt
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Thank you! Yes, I can see the problem! What if the tax was only applied to non food products…or would that make it unworkable? Would it be possible to make the tax progressive…as in items under a certain value are low and rising with the prices of the items? Things costing a thousand dollars have a higher rate kind of thing? Since the wealthy tend to buy large dollar items I can see them having to pay out more overall…
I also agree that investment gains need to be taxed otherwise it’s just free money that’s out of reach for average citizens. I’ve always felt that taxes need to be progressive to be more fair…what ever kind of taxes are being talked about.
Thanks for explaining!
I also agree that investment gains need to be taxed otherwise it’s just free money that’s out of reach for average citizens. I’ve always felt that taxes need to be progressive to be more fair…what ever kind of taxes are being talked about.
Thanks for explaining!
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Balto1
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Food isn’t subject to sales tax in Washington State, and while that makes it less regressive than it could be it doesn’t really help much overall.
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