Perry Proposes a Flat Tax

[Martinus]

Yeah. If you tax łiquid assets, people will just always find ways of keeping the assets in a non-taxable form. It's funny how ideologues like Ideologue always seem to miss the basics of reality.

[fhdz]

I really like the way the value of my house keeps going down, but the property taxes I owe keeps going up.

Yeah, I'm fairly certain Oregon's tax assessor's office smokes crack.

[fhdz]

Wouldn't you be encouraging people to never save money / not keep money in banks?

Yes, we'd see a heyday of offshore banking. That's some happy Swiss folks!

[Ideologue]

We tax cars and houses, I don't see why taxing a bank account would be particularly different (in fact, it'd be far superior, since taxing a bank account is taxing liquid assets, as opposed to potentially forcing the sale of a physical asset that generates wealth, like a car).

Yi, I didn't ignore you, I'm thinking about your question.

Wouldn't you be encouraging people to never save money / not keep money in banks?

Probably the case.  Like I said, I was approaching it more from a moral/fairness point of view (with some consideration of administrative feasibility), but that's a pretty big practical objection.

[Ed Anger]

I bury my money in the yard. Argh.

[fhdz]

Probably the case.  Like I said, I was approaching it more from a moral/fairness point of view (with some consideration of administrative feasibility), but that's a pretty big practical objection.

Taxes shouldn't exist for moral reasons. Their sole purpose should be to generate needed revenue for government services. I think we forget that sometimes. Societies like ours which simultaneously demand government services and complain about the fact that someone has to pay for them seem to suffer from a collective multiple personality disorder.

[fhdz]

I bury my money in the yard. Argh.

*goes to Ed's yard*

[Ed Anger]

I bury my money in the yard. Argh.

*goes to Ed's yard*

My cat attacks intruders.