CarpeComa
Posts: 194
Joined: 5/12/2010 Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Musicmystery Yes, but we have such taxes now (sales, gasoline), and we exempt food, some clothing, heating fuel, mortgage interest (which benefits the wealthy homeowner a lot more), and so forth. No reason this shouldn't continue. You could even exempt entirely certain income levels if you like, through either refunds or vouchers. Additionally, a VAT would add some incentives to save, and Americans have a negative savings rate. And finally, it's a built in luxury tax. I'd rather that than a flat income tax, which I absolutely oppose. Vouchers are only good after the fact. The timing of when people have their money is important, not just the quantity. This is especially true in the lower income brackets. Consumption taxes (vouchers or not) still run smack into the problem that wealthy people will simply curtail their spending, which in the long run helps no one as they will simply accumulate money at a faster rate.
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