When do you raise taxes?

[Razgovory]

All this talk about fiscal responsibility and such makes me wonder.  When do you raise taxes?  Grover Norquist apparently said "never" last night on the Colbert Report.  I wonder if that is actually the conservative position.

[Valmy]

Two times:

1. When introducing an expensive new government program or venture that needs to be funded.

2. When some douchebag like Japan bombs Pearl Harbor and we need to build tanks.

[The Brain]

Funnily enough the question hasn't come up in Sweden in my lifetime. Maybe because we reached the tax stratosphere in the 70s and are slowly descending.

[Grey Fox]

Right now would be really good for you Yanks. Especially in the 1mil + bracket.

[Eddie Teach]

Ideally never, except for emergency measures which are temporary("war taxes"). Other than that they should be at a pretty set rate which covers the government's expenses. Using tax policy to try to prod the economy seems to be more trouble than its worth. 

[Valmy]

Ideally never, except for emergency measures which are temporary("war taxes"). Other than that they should be at a pretty set rate which covers the government's expenses. Using tax policy to try to prod the economy seems to be more trouble than its worth. 

Yep.

[Valmy]

Right now would be really good for you Yanks. Especially in the 1mil + bracket.

So long as it is packaged with a series of comprehensive cuts.

[MadImmortalMan]

When the economy has entered strong growth mode and the level of taxation is not currently over what you consider the ideal level.

[Zanza]

Whenever you can get away with it.

I remember the election of 2005 here well. The ruling parties said they would leave the VAT untouched. The opposition parties said they need to raise it by 2% to lower payroll taxes. In the end, the main opposition and main ruling party formed the new government and decided to raise by 3% and keep the payroll taxes.

[Josephus]

every second thursday.

[Bluebook]

Funnily enough the question hasn't come up in Sweden in my lifetime. Maybe because we reached the tax stratosphere in the 70s and are slowly descending.

Actually it happens more often than people seem to notice. Apparently you failed to notice the tax increase on alcohol and tobacco?

Also that rather infamous "värnskatt" that were added in 1990-something-something.

[Bluebook]

When the economy has entered strong growth mode and the level of taxation is not currently over what you consider the ideal level.

That sounds dreadfully irresponsible. Take greece for example. No tax raise...ever, then?

[MadImmortalMan]

When the economy has entered strong growth mode and the level of taxation is not currently over what you consider the ideal level.

That sounds dreadfully irresponsible. Take greece for example. No tax raise...ever, then?

How do you figure that?


Anyway, Greece is so far off the rails that the normal rules don't apply.

[Valmy]

That sounds dreadfully irresponsible. Take greece for example. No tax raise...ever, then?

Yeah that was that one thing Greece did to be irresponsible.

[Habbaku]

Ideally never, except for emergency measures which are temporary("war taxes"). Other than that they should be at a pretty set rate which covers the government's expenses. Using tax policy to try to prod the economy seems to be more trouble than its worth.