<VV> [VV-talk] Taxes

[jvhroberts at aol.com]

I was told once, not sure how true it is, the tax compliance rate in 
this nation, measured as actual tax revenue vs. expected tax revenue, 
is 94%. Apparently WE don't have much trouble collecting income taxes!

-----Original Message-----
From: Alan and Clare Wesson <alan.wesson at atlas.co.uk>
To: Frank DuVal <corvairduval at cox.net>; airvair at earthlink.net; Virtual 
Vairs <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Sun, 1 Feb 2009 2:09 pm
Subject: Re: <VV> [VV-talk] Taxes










A friend of mine who works for the British Treasury told me once that 
the
reason the government is so fond of sales taxes in general and gas tax 
in
particular is because it is much harder to evade and easier to collect 
than
income tax.

The collection rate for income tax is well under 50% and the number of
allowances is breathtaking. On the other hand, the collection rate for 
gas
tax is 100%, the people who collect it pay all the costs, and there are 
no
allowances.

So although sales tax in general and gas tax in particular are very 
unfair
and regressive taxes (they act disproportionately on those least able 
to
afford it), the government loves them. I suspect Senator Obama is just 
about
to work out from the example set by his nice friend Mr Brown how 
wonderful
gas taxes are, too.

Although actually the person who set the precedent of not spending gas 
taxes
on the roads was... Winston Churchill! So you see, he wasn't perfect!

And next time anyone tells you that the purpose of taxing gas is to 
Save The
World, you can set them straight.

Cheers

Alan



----- Original Message -----
From: "Frank DuVal" <corvairduval at cox.net>
To: <airvair at earthlink.net>; "Virtual Vairs" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 01, 2009 6:50 PM
Subject: Re: <VV> [VV-talk] Taxes


> Mark, just me in the middle.
>
> I do not like consumption taxes (sales tax, VAT in England), but I
> wondered why you say they are soak the working people  taxes? If I 
only
> make 20K a year, then I shouldn't spend more than 20K in a year, so my
> tax will be based on the 20K I spent. If I make 200K a year, seems to 
me
> I will spend WAAYY more than 20K a year, so my tax paid will be VERY
> larger! If I am unbeleiveable in frugality, and I saved 5k of my 20k,
> then my tax base will be smaller. It encouages saving, something the
> current tax laws do not.
>
> What's bourgeoisie about that?
>
> Frank DuVal
> Agreeing that all taxes are paid by consumers, just as higher prices.
>
> airvair at earthlink.net wrote:
>
>>Consumption taxes? There you go again, trying to hide the tax load by
>>spreading it around under different names. Thought the original 
discussion
>>was about whether all taxes were to be directly paid by the 
individual.
>>That would require ONE tax bill, due as a lump sum. So let's get back 
to
>>the original discussion of ONE tax bill.
>>
>>Besides that, a "consumption" tax nothing but a "soak the working 
people"
>>scheme. It's promoted by the filthy rich because it's a way for them 
to
>>shift their tax burden off onto the working class. A bourgeoisie idea 
if
>>there ever was one. Trouble is, some middle class people are so 
deluded as
>>to actually believe that hogwash.
>>
>>-Mark
>>
>>
>>
>>
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