Re: How to pay for government?


The Ghost In The Machine wrote:
I have a dumb question. If there is a FAQ on this, my
apologies in advance, and just point me to it, but there
are several methods by which we can pay for government
(assuming, for the sake of simplicity, a standard
tri-pillar arrangement: judicial, legislative, executive --
similar to the one in the US and many European countries,
and that government is even necessary, desirable, or
functional).

Which is the best method, and why?

[1] Pay-as-you-use. This is vaguely Libertarian but the
general idea is to either hire private security to do legal
enforcement, judicial would be paid on a per-case basis,
and legislative would do as little work as possible,
perhaps on a volunteer basis. Presumably, this system
would work (FSVO) in an area where the laws are not in
great flux, and in any event we already have consensus on
issues such as murder and rape anyway.

[2] Income tax. Basically, the government extracts
services from a declared percentage of one's transfer
payments -- I work for XYZ Corp, they pay me, I pay
government a certain percentage out of what XYZ Corp
pays me.

[3] Sales tax. XYZ Corp and individuals also might pay
a certain percentage on everything sold (new or used)
or bought, or maybe both (buyer-seller split sales tax).

I don't think there's a definitive answer. In real life, countries use
the three methods combined.

.

Relevant Pages

  • How to pay for government?
    ... are several methods by which we can pay for government ... Income tax. ... government a certain percentage out of what XYZ Corp ...
    (sci.econ)
  • Re: OT Article: Another year, another wage loss
    ... because it takes two incomes to make it. ... The changes in the tax code and regulatory laws and workplace ... an honest days work and get an honest days pay is not class "envy". ... I trust them to be more efficient than the government. ...
    (comp.sys.mac.advocacy)
  • Re: Malloy doesnt have any support for his position
    ... government provided goods and services. ... pay various taxes either directly of indirectly that support those services. ... county or city for some amount of services that I used or benefitted ... me and asking for the tax? ...
    (misc.taxes)
  • Re: OT - Government bailouts, buyout and guaranteed loans
    ... government DOES NOT HAVE THIS MONEY sitting around to be making these ... THEY WILL BORROW THIS MONEY FROM US. ... if the government creates it I won't have to pay ... You will pay it as a hidden tax, and everyone that has a dollar in their ...
    (rec.gambling.poker)
  • Re: BBC to help pensioners go digital
    ... so the government can sell off the "spare" frequencies. ... I always wanted to pay more tax. ... The old moo that runs BBC radio, the luvvies give her over 300,000 grand ...
    (uk.tech.digital-tv)