How you feel about taxes

[ElPatron]

Taxes are way too high. Public spending should go down.

I'm happy to contribute to the community by means of taxes.

But how do you feel when your taxes are not being used to improve your community but to pay millions of euros in bonuses for CEOs of state owned companies?

You need to read less Daily Mail.

You should be glad that you can afford to run a personal vehicle and live in your own place.

First world problems.

And I think you should stop being defeatist. Even if he didn't have a vehicle or a home one could say "at least you have a job". If he didn't have a job one could say "at least you have your health". If he was sick one could say "at least you're alive".

And so on.

Even in a world where mr high earner has to pay 60% he would still have more than double mr low earners money to play with. They still end up getting more. (...) Nobody needs that kind of extra money on a regular basis.

Yeah, but if I spent time and money on my education to get a job with ridiculously high pay why should I be penalized for being better than other people?

I don't need a lot of things in life, and you don't either (search around if you have to). But we still have them, right?

I'm not a "tax cuts for the rich" guy but I am not a "let the rich guys pay for the others' mistakes" guy either.

 

[Jonluw]

I'm happy to contribute to the community by means of taxes.

But how do you feel when your taxes are not being used to improve your community but to pay millions of euros in bonuses for CEOs of state owned companies?

Doesn't really happen around here.
There are some who argue that state employed leaders are paid too much, but it isn't in the million euro range.
And the people who argue that are mostly saying they're spending our oil money on unfair wages, not the taxes. Not that it makes a difference. It's just a difference in mindset.

 

[ElPatron]

Doesn't really happen around here.
There are some who argue that state employed leaders are paid too much, but it isn't in the million euro range.

Lucky you, you live in one of the reasonable European countries.

 

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

I'm happy to pay taxes for a working welfare state, thankfully I don't have to yet. Seriously, without those taxes being paid I wouldn't be able to go to university and my family would be virtually penniless since my Dad lost his job so I'm happy to give back when the time comes. It's not as if they take so much off you it's impossible to live a good life.

When people complain about having their money support asylum seekers and people 'who just refuse to work' I get pissed off. It's not your money any more, it's our money, it's the government's money and it comes back to you in multiple ways when you need it to, you aren't having to support two families on your own pay, it's a communal effort for a communal effect.

 

[Jonluw]

Lucky you, you live in one of the reasonable European countries.

And the one with the most oil, muhahaha!

 

[Twilight_guy]

I don't like taxes but its better then having no government or a government that can't do anything due to not being able to raise money. For all the shit government does I'd still take it over anarchy any day of the week and a government that is effective will need to tax you. It could be worse, some countries have much higher taxes then mine here in the US.

 

[Bvenged]

I'm fine with them, when they're done properly - which in the UK they're not and I was ratehr hoping that the conservative party would do something about it, since Labour bankrupted the country by not giving a shit about taxes enough and palming out free dole to wild foxes on the street if they yelped loud enough.

This is the 21st century, ffs, why aren't taxes dynamic yet? At the moment we're on a biased and broken income tax calculator set with fixed percentages.

If you earn 41k a year, you pay 40% income tax. If you earn 38k a year, you pay 20%...
That's just broken because a person at 38K actually take home more money than the person who worked slightly harder for 41k annum.

Also, there are many, many loopholes when it comes to calculating household income too. But I cba to explain the ones I've seen.

 

[Vegosiux]

I think people should have the option to opt out of taxes.

With the catch that they lose access to anything taxes finance, including but not limited to roads, elections and protection by law enforcement. Don't wanna pay taxes? Okay, suit yourself, just don't expect to be allowed to use stuff taxes pay for.

 

[Sean951]

I couldn't read the whole thread, too many people just didn't understand the tax system.

Sales taxes are different because they aren't a Federal tax in the US, they are done locally as per the need of the city/county/state. For example, my state has no sales tax on unprepared food, however my city recently added a small tax on restaurants and caused a massive (for my state) shit storm by trying to enforce a wheel tax on people who don't live within the city, but work there.

The fuel tax is high to pay for the roads. Also, it's not high. The average across the US is 50 cents per gallon, mostly from the state tax, not the Federal. A common argument is to INCREASE the Federal portion of the tax to help set the US on a path to better infrastructure and decreased driving.

Property taxes (once again, a local tax in the US) pay for the services we expect to have as citizens. In America, I think they are most commonly used to pay for education as the big ticket item, and likely the salaries of public employees such as police officers and fire fighters.

 

[JochemHippie]

Snipperdy snipperde snip

In my finances it comes up as 57% off all the money I get and spend
.

 

[RedLister]

Yeah i applogise stagnant. I just get really twitchy about MPs and all that and spoke out of my arse. I don't read the Daily Mail though don't trust the press much either with there scaremongering and all that.

 

[BOOM headshot65]

I dont mind taxes as I realize there wouldnt be police, schools, the military, etc without them. However, I am very much in favor of a flat tax. EVERYONE (except for the lowest tax bracket) should get charged at the same rate (about 20%) and most other taxes are gotten rid of. Also, we need to get rid of all tax cuts. Not just the ones for the Rich, ALL OF THEM! except for charitable givings.

 

[Galletea]

If they didn't need it, then there wouldn't be so much of it.
Yeah it suck, yes a lot of it is wasted, but without it we'd all be whining about something else anyway.

 

[Bogdan Carmaciu]

The UK has this problem of high taxation, but to be honest, the real wages do not suffer because of taxation, as much as they do because of inflation. While it is true that a lot of taxes are disseminated in daily life, you have to consider that a lot of public goods available in the UK are paid with that money. At the same time, what I get is that u are frustrated more with the amount of taxes, rather than value, and as a student of economics I get how frustrating it is, BUT:

1. Public goods that are paid for by you are not necessary used in a direct fashion by you (i.e. the M.O.D.)
2. Progressive income taxation needs to be applied in other to smooth consumption through redistribution of income (in other words, if the rich pay more, the poor have to pay less and everyone gets the same share of the cookie), but this type of decision is set by those that are benefiting from low tax rates. In your case, the income tax will definitively be at a level above the Laffer Curve if you are in the income bracket making under 24k/year.

I studied in the UK and all my lecturers solved this in less than 5 minutes: tax the richer 20% higher, give tax cuts to the poor (or if economic data should contradict this as good idea, tax on specific luxury goods), stop private lending and borrow as a government from the Central Bank due to low interest rates in order to not create deficits that would require putting up more taxation.

Q.E.D.

 

[BOOM headshot65]

I dont mind taxes as I realize there wouldnt be police, schools, the military, etc without them. However, I am very much in favor of a flat tax. EVERYONE (except for the lowest tax bracket) should get charged at the same rate (about 20%) and most other taxes are gotten rid of. Also, we need to get rid of all tax cuts. Not just the ones for the Rich, ALL OF THEM! except for charitable givings.

I have taken you to task on something like three different occasions about why flat tax is a very stupid idea. Do I need to do it again?

How many times do I need to say that they are the most fair. I am going off of what My Economics teacher said, and he was supportive of them as well, because they are fair....if done right. If done wrong, they are regressive, yes, but by definition, a Flat tax should be FLAT and affect everyone EXACTLY the same.

 

[Smeatza]

I don't like taxes, I wish somone would come up with an alternative.

 

[Powereaver]

Taxes must be paid... to help with the upkeep of the place you are living.. but sometimes the amount of taxes is the confusing part.. mum always liked the idea of a 1% flat tax.. that would solve all the confusion and issues.

 

[Reiper]

Canadian point of view here.
I agree with taxes in principal. Giving back to the government makes sense to me, it sucks when you see how much of your earnings they take, but I believe on the whole its being put to good use (Health care, public schools, police...) However, I have two gripes that can almost make the whole system not worth it.
The first, is when I see tax money being wasted on rediculous programs. Second is seeing unfair tax laws that allow corporations, or high income people to get away with paying much less than others. The tax gap in canada is not as bad as other places from what I have heard, but it is growing. Fix those two issues (good luck to that) and it would be a lot closer to an ideal system.

I live in Canada and my parents pay 48% on every cent they make over 104,000

So explain how they are "getting away" with paying less tax than others.