[Axil]

Originally Posted by Warfish

I have to have a position for it to be weak. The only position I take on taxation is for a Universal Flat Individual Income Tax (combined with a termination of business income tax), or a Consuption Tax system.

With that said, when taxes rise on the top 2% of income earners, and the tax rate rises on capital gains/investment income, I'm not going to shed many tears either.

Oh, but you do have a position.

Here are a couple of your opinions that i have a hard time with.

Originally Posted by Warfish

If anything, the fact that one stream requires personal labor, and the other does not would lead one to the idea that investment income should face a higehr tax rate, not a lower one, than that for labor.

While investment income and income earned as a wage are both income, that is all they have in common. I do not believe they ought to be taxed the same as they are not the same. I have laid out my reasons in previous posts. I do not believe the "income is income" argument is very compelling.

Originally Posted by Warfish

There is no "deserve" in a tax system, there is only what we via our representatives feel tax rates should be to serve the purposes and operations of Government.

But of course there is a "deserve" in a tax system. Voters vote for many reasons. Most of them selfish, however the concept of fairness in the tax code is something both sides of the aisle strive to monopolize. My views on taxes have never been completely utilitarian. For example I am against any form of death/estate tax merely on principle. I don't know weather these taxes help or hurt the economy, i just believe they are morally reprehensible.


I believe at one point we discussed tax reform previously, and i mentioned my support for the consumption tax, and far less enthusiasm for a "flat tax". This is one of the major reasons i believe a consumption tax is vastly superior than a flat tax. Every issue discussed in this thread magically disappears when a consumption tax system is utilized.