re: #876 Fat Bastard Vegetarian

I work hard— even if I get plenty of time to post on LGF, I have to deal with a lot of crises every day. I get taxed higher on my earnings than someone who is earning unearned income on a rental property that they never see. They do zero work, have income, and are taxed lower than I am.

If we’re talking about ‘fairness’, I think that’s an appropriate comparison to look at.

But not taxes can ever really be fair. Fairness is not an option. We can try to avoid gross unfairness, but there is no system that is fair, and there is no system that can’t be gained.

That does not mean it is not worthwhile to figure out what an effective tax policy is.

Denmark has a solid economy, an enormously happy populace, and higher social mobility than us. THey also have much higher taxes and a much higher top tax rate.

Belarus has a burgeoning, surging economy, and incredibly low taxes. They have an incredibly low happiness index, but that’s the Slavic gloom thing, I think.

But anyway, in both cases we can see a very strong economy. Tax rates are not something that work in a vacuum— they work in the context of our culture, our society, and the other laws and regulations that surround them.

It’s never enough to just lay out the numbers.