Obligated military service versus the all volunteer force
- Thread starter KillerMuffin
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CelestialBody
Starlet of India
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Closet Desire
Literotica Guru
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Value Added Taxes
It doesn't really matter how the taxes are collected. If you live in a society with roads, parks, military, schools, trash collection, etc. then you pay the taxes to support that.
Don't think for a minute that goods aren't taxed in the US to a very heavy degree. Manufacturers pay taxes on the factories and property they sit on as well as substantial taxes on the profits. Stockholder pay capital gains taxes whenever the company's stock increases in value due to profit, expansion, or the phase of the moon. They pay taxes indirectly when they pay a shipper to move them over the roads. The retailers pay taxes on employees, inventory, and property. The cycle is pretty complete and, in the bottom line, not much different from a VAT except that it is called a lot of different names. If you are fortunate enough to afford luxury items then you will pay tax through the nose for it. And don't overlook that all those wonderful consumer items that come into the country from overseas are often taxed (tariff) at rates exceeding 100% (sugar for example).
Here in England we have a VAT rate of 17.5% but no tax on foods (unlike the state I used to live in). Businesses that are VAT registered do NOT pay taxes on materials and supplies related directly to the business. We have an exorbitant petrol tax, but then some other taxes are quite low compared to the states. For example, the annual tax on my Mercedes is only about $250 while in the state I lived in before moving here it would have been nearly $2,000.
In the end, what goes around comes around. If you want government services you end up paying for it through some form of taxes. Trying to compare tax systems is like comparing snowflakes...they are all different (but cold, wet, and a damn nuisance).
By the way...today's Veterans Day so hats off to my fellow veterans!
It doesn't really matter how the taxes are collected. If you live in a society with roads, parks, military, schools, trash collection, etc. then you pay the taxes to support that.
Don't think for a minute that goods aren't taxed in the US to a very heavy degree. Manufacturers pay taxes on the factories and property they sit on as well as substantial taxes on the profits. Stockholder pay capital gains taxes whenever the company's stock increases in value due to profit, expansion, or the phase of the moon. They pay taxes indirectly when they pay a shipper to move them over the roads. The retailers pay taxes on employees, inventory, and property. The cycle is pretty complete and, in the bottom line, not much different from a VAT except that it is called a lot of different names. If you are fortunate enough to afford luxury items then you will pay tax through the nose for it. And don't overlook that all those wonderful consumer items that come into the country from overseas are often taxed (tariff) at rates exceeding 100% (sugar for example).
Here in England we have a VAT rate of 17.5% but no tax on foods (unlike the state I used to live in). Businesses that are VAT registered do NOT pay taxes on materials and supplies related directly to the business. We have an exorbitant petrol tax, but then some other taxes are quite low compared to the states. For example, the annual tax on my Mercedes is only about $250 while in the state I lived in before moving here it would have been nearly $2,000.
In the end, what goes around comes around. If you want government services you end up paying for it through some form of taxes. Trying to compare tax systems is like comparing snowflakes...they are all different (but cold, wet, and a damn nuisance).
By the way...today's Veterans Day so hats off to my fellow veterans!
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