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jayeff · 06-13-2006, 09:57 PM

I thought this was going to be a question about why people with children are given extra tax allowances: something which has always puzzled me. A shame it turned out to be just another bash state benefits thread...

If you are going to start pulling apart the inequities of taxes and benefits, either declare that you have an entrenched view about a particular aspect or else go through the whole smorgasbord from top to bottom. There is something patently naive about a middle class guy whingeing on about how he pays for someone's baby, when he may be having to take out loans to pay for his kids' college while some wealthier guy has had the funds stashed away in tax-free trusts since the day his children were born. Sure there are inequities, they run from top to bottom and the middle class is mostly on the losing side. But don't kid yourself the picture would change too much if benefits for the poor were slashed.

If you wanted to be thorough, you could even ask, why in the US and most of western Europe, there are sliding rates of tax on everything from income to property? Why do you get tax relief on a mortage but not when you buy a Harley Davidson? If we are good capitalists, shouldn't every individual pay exactly the same tax regardless of income and how he/she chooses to spend that income?

I live in a town of 10,000 people. The equivalent of the population of 7 towns like this one live homeless in our capital city. In that same city, men living a mile apart have life-spans that are 20 years different. If you can be proud of a country in which those are realities and you are damn sure that you, your children, your grandchildren, etc., will always be able to handle every speedbump life puts in their paths, by all means campaign to cut benefits. Don't be too surprized if you have to spend all the money you save on security and protection, but hey, it's your choice.

When you are done with that, maybe you can do something about the US having the most expensive education system in the world, yet one which functions so badly. Then perhaps you can fix the most expensive health care system so that it costs less and serves people better. Lots of ways to save yourself money if you put your mind to it...

06-13-2006, 09:57 PM
jayeff Confirmed User Join Date: May 2001 Posts: 2,944	I thought this was going to be a question about why people with children are given extra tax allowances: something which has always puzzled me. A shame it turned out to be just another bash state benefits thread... If you are going to start pulling apart the inequities of taxes and benefits, either declare that you have an entrenched view about a particular aspect or else go through the whole smorgasbord from top to bottom. There is something patently naive about a middle class guy whingeing on about how he pays for someone's baby, when he may be having to take out loans to pay for his kids' college while some wealthier guy has had the funds stashed away in tax-free trusts since the day his children were born. Sure there are inequities, they run from top to bottom and the middle class is mostly on the losing side. But don't kid yourself the picture would change too much if benefits for the poor were slashed. If you wanted to be thorough, you could even ask, why in the US and most of western Europe, there are sliding rates of tax on everything from income to property? Why do you get tax relief on a mortage but not when you buy a Harley Davidson? If we are good capitalists, shouldn't every individual pay exactly the same tax regardless of income and how he/she chooses to spend that income? I live in a town of 10,000 people. The equivalent of the population of 7 towns like this one live homeless in our capital city. In that same city, men living a mile apart have life-spans that are 20 years different. If you can be proud of a country in which those are realities and you are damn sure that you, your children, your grandchildren, etc., will always be able to handle every speedbump life puts in their paths, by all means campaign to cut benefits. Don't be too surprized if you have to spend all the money you save on security and protection, but hey, it's your choice. When you are done with that, maybe you can do something about the US having the most expensive education system in the world, yet one which functions so badly. Then perhaps you can fix the most expensive health care system so that it costs less and serves people better. Lots of ways to save yourself money if you put your mind to it...