Do you want to pay more or less taxes for social programs like medicare? please extrapolate (explain)?

Question

Do you think that we should end mediatory taxation for social programs? Think carefully before you answer. What would happen if these taxes were no longer collected? Now, on the other side; if you pay the same amount as some other countries, how would that benefit YOU?

Answer 1

taxes always reduce the activity that is taxed.

so, I suggest you give long and careful thought to what you tax and how highly.

for example, taxing work income reduces the amount of work done in the country and thus reduces the amount of goods and services available for people to consume. [Many ordinary people in Central America do not pay taxes on work income.]

The best solution we've discovered so far for poverty is work. In fact, it likely is the only possible long run solution.

so, to answer your question -- i'd like to abolish all taxes on working and all taxes on capital [capital leverages work effort and thus multiplies output and therefore consumption].

Tax consumption instead. And kill many of these give away programs that lead people to belive they can get something for 'free' -- which actually means get something by forcing someone else to pay for it. Force used on human beings isn't compatible with freedom.


:)

Answer 2

Not for all programs, but for many. From an economic standpoint, money is always better in the hands of consumers than in the hands of government. As we already know too well, the government is adept at wasting and misappropriating the money we give them. I, for one, don't like the idea that a huge chunk of my paycheck goes for the government to misuse. I'm sure most others don't, either.

Let's take my favorite example: healthcare. Many people are concerned because not all Americans have insurance, so they want to nationalize healthcare. Well....they've done this in the U.K., Canada, and many other countries. What happened? I have first hand experience in both France and the U.K. We all know what happens when the government "manages" something. If you aren't sure how government-run healthcare would play out, imagine going to the DMV every time you had to go to the doctor. Sounds fun, eh? That's a lot what it's like. Now think of the larger implications: the incredibly huge taxes and the shortage of medical personel. Can you blame doctors and nurses for passing up working at a government run hospital? Why should they work there when they can go to another country and enjoy the pay they've earned with their years of education and internships? The general quality of healthcare on an individual level is much lower than that provided in the U.S. I can't say I want anything like their system.

What would happen if taxes for social programs were no longer collected? One of two things: either the government would reconsider it's current spending strategy and learn to better budget the money it already collects in order to continue the programs, or it would have to stop the programs. Although I would hope they'd learn to be more careful with the money they had, I seriously doubt the government would do so.

If I paid the incredible amount of taxes for extensive social programs, I'm not sure if I would have a net benefit from it. I would pay in a large portion of my income, so I would lose that money, which I currently spend as I see fit. I would have free nationalized healthcare, but to be honest, for the reasons above I'd rather have our privatized care because I would lose benefits from the reduction in quality of care. I might have better public transportation, which would be nice, but still not worth what I'd actually pay. Since I'm not old enough, I wouldn't get Social Security or Medicare. Even if I were old enough, I prefer to save and invest my own funds for retirement- as I said before, I don't think the government can do it better than consumers. I'm not poor enough, so the majority of social programs wouldn't benefit me at all. So what's left? Do the benefits outweigh the costs? Not in my mind.

Compare our standard of living to that in countries where there are more social programs. Although people in the U.K., for example, have a high standard of living, I have lived in both places and the U.S. has a more comfortable standard. This is a direct result of the disposable income our citizens have that is not eaten away by overly high taxes. We should keep it that way.

Answer 3

I don't mind paying what I'm paying now, but I think the government should prioritize (no more cow-fart study grants) and stop the wasteful spending - no more fluorescent post-it notes!

Answer 4

i want to give a 100% of my check to taxes for social programs. Cause I want to feel good about myself for others that dont work.