When do you raise taxes?

[DGuller]

You should raise taxes when you have huge deficits, to increase revenues.  You should also raise taxes when you have huge surpluses, to reduce revenues.

[Grey Fox]

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.

I don't think that's possible in America anymore.

[Admiral Yi]

Last December would have been a good time.

[Razgovory]

I don't think that's possible in America anymore.

You pretty much can't raise taxes in the US anymore.  The anti-tax cult is very strong.  In Missouri the legislature can't raise any tax.  All taxes have to be voted on by the people.  At the same time, every election the GOP promises tax cuts to appease the masses.  Missouri also can't legally run a deficit, so you get things like half of the schools in Kansas City have been closed, or some school districts have only a four day school week.  Or the State has had a policy of "no growth" for prisons.  Every time one person is put in, another has to be let out.

[MadImmortalMan]

You pretty much can't raise taxes in the US anymore.  The anti-tax cult is very strong.

Yes, that and the federal treasury is where we need the money, but new types of taxes besides the income taxes and tariffs need an amendment. Maybe we should try apportionment? 

[Camerus]

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. 

Or when your country has been horribly financially mismanaged and desperately needs some way to reduce its deficit.

[garbon]

You pretty much can't raise taxes in the US anymore.  The anti-tax cult is very strong. 

Not surprising. Things don't seem to be getting any better, so why wouldn't I want to pay the government more for the same old shit?

[DontSayBanana]

Under the current system?  Might as well not even bother.  Spending allocation is so broken that a tax hike is going to have miniscule or no positive domestic effect.  Even without uber-spending, though, my personal belief is that taxes should never be brought up without real income on the upswing to avoid gouging the people who are supposed to be receiving the benefits of their own government.

[CountDeMoney]

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. 

Or when your country has been horribly financially mismanaged and desperately needs some way to reduce its deficit.

Bingo.  After ten years of eliminated revenue streams and cokehead spending binges is a good time to raise taxes.

[Habbaku]

Or the State has had a policy of "no growth" for prisons.  Every time one person is put in, another has to be let out.

Sounds good.  One thief in, one pothead out.

[Razgovory]

Or the State has had a policy of "no growth" for prisons.  Every time one person is put in, another has to be let out.

Sounds good.  One thief in, one pothead out.

Or the other way around.

[Razgovory]

You pretty much can't raise taxes in the US anymore.  The anti-tax cult is very strong.

Yes, that and the federal treasury is where we need the money, but new types of taxes besides the income taxes and tariffs need an amendment. Maybe we should try apportionment? 

The current system seemed to work in the 1990's.  We raised taxes and by the end of the decade the US was running a surplus.  Curiously the economy was doing quite well too!

[Habbaku]

Or the State has had a policy of "no growth" for prisons.  Every time one person is put in, another has to be let out.

Sounds good.  One thief in, one pothead out.

Or the other way around.

That seems less good.

[Admiral Yi]

The current system seemed to work in the 1990's.  We raised taxes and by the end of the decade the US was running a surplus.  Curiously the economy was doing quite well too!

As I've said before, to return to that Golden Age we need to engineer another stock market bubble so we can collect tons of capital gains taxes.

[Razgovory]

The current system seemed to work in the 1990's.  We raised taxes and by the end of the decade the US was running a surplus.  Curiously the economy was doing quite well too!

As I've said before, to return to that Golden Age we need to engineer another stock market bubble so we can collect tons of capital gains taxes.

Why was the bubble that occurred in the 1990's also see increase in wages while the one in the Bush administration see a decrease in wages?