Clinton Collapse?

[Finglefinn]

I'll pay income tax on an estimated 20K.

...

I am advocating for a sytstem that will require I pay more in taxes.

Embar, after years of constant whining about how much tax you have to pay I find it extremely hard to believe either of those statements.

I have never heard Embar complain about how much tax he has to pay. I have only heard him attempt to shout down the seemingly constant liberal class envy rhetoric repeatedly posted by certain members of this forum.

[Partha]

You haven't been here long enough to remember when Embar was loudly calling for the dismantling of public education. He's gotten quieter after getting his ass handed to him over and over....by Beek....by Lurker...and by me.

Dd's the same way deep down, by the way. He wants lower taxes and less government spending on social programs. He's just smoother about it.

Who wants to generate more government revenue? If that's your goal then you're messed up to begin with. I'm all about less government revenue when you lower taxes. The less you can get by with the better.

[Klast Brell]

I do not take it as a given that a purchase of a financial instrument should not be taxed. Unless you get in on an IPO you are not giving any money to a company when you buy their stock. If I purchase something from you on the expectation that it will grow in value and then sell it at a profit, what difference does it make if it is a share or stock or a baseball card?

[Ddrak]

Dd's the same way deep down, by the way. He wants lower taxes and less government spending on social programs.

Pretty much - won't deny any of that. I'd shoot for more efficiency in government while I'm at it, and in terms of the US, significant cuts to the defense budget. At a rough guess I'd say you could halve government spending over here without too much effort if you really wanted to.

Of course, then I'd go fuck all that up by tossing in a partially socialized health system, but I'm weird like that.

I do not take it as a given that a purchase of a financial instrument should not be taxed. Unless you get in on an IPO you are not giving any money to a company when you buy their stock. If I purchase something from you on the expectation that it will grow in value and then sell it at a profit, what difference does it make if it is a share or stock or a baseball card?

Excellent points. You *could* put a VAT on investments - it wouldn't really hurt anything because you get it back when you sell it (remember selling something gives you a VAT refund). Or, you could just not put a VAT on any investments at all, including stock and baseball cards which takes you closer to the FairTax implementation.

Devil's in the details isn't it?

Dd