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comment by goobster
goobster  ·  2571 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Pubski: November 8, 2017

    "One, I can't imagine it'd be that hard to make laws to prevent tax dodging."

Lemme let you in on a secret, my friend.

The government doesn't make anything. It doesn't produce a product. It doesn't sell anything.

So the ONLY tool that your elected representatives have to negotiate with are Tax Breaks.

Wanna know why the tax code is so fucked up and Byzantine? Because it is the ONLY tool they have, and when all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

Wanna know why EVERY SINGLE news story and conversation about government legislation is about taxes? Because that's the context in which ALL of their conversations and negotiations take place. "Here is a way I can benefit my donors by lowering their taxes, and pushing that cost off onto someone else with less money to spend on my campaign.

And yet, taxes are one of the smallest expenses for any business or individual in America.

So if they can keep you focused over here on this little tiny corner called "taxes", they don't have to actually deal with the real problems we face, that need real solutions.





user-inactivated  ·  2571 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    The government doesn't make anything. It doesn't produce a product.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Highway_System

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-16_Fighting_Falcon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam

    It doesn't sell anything.

Except resources, federal land, weapon, food, and aid to other countries, manpower, technology, etc. to businesses and other nations all the time.

    Wanna know why EVERY SINGLE news story and conversation about government legislation is about taxes?

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/nov/08/trump-att-time-warner-takeover-threaten-deal

https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/10/08/555879601/betsy-devos-first-semester-a-status-report

CTRL-F-"Taxes" Results=0

    So if they can keep you focused over here on this little tiny corner called "taxes", they don't have to actually deal with the real problems we face, that need real solutions.

I mean, I kind of agree with you there, but we could have gotten to this point without the hyperbole. The fact of that matter is though, the government both writes the tax laws and collects taxes. They literally have the power to prevent this shit. They could at least try to do something to put a stop to these shenanigans, instead of allowing loopholes so big you can fit the GDP of a micro-nation through them.

goobster  ·  2570 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Every single one of those loopholes was intentionally put there, so someone could use it.

The tax system is complex, but it is well understood by those who know how to use it.

It's not like the benefits the rich get from all these loopholes were unintended consequences of tax law designed to help the majority.

(Pedantic Detail: The highway system, the internet, Hoover Dam, the F16, and Betsy DeVos' entire budget, were all paid for with tax money. The problem is that the loopholes designed into the system allow some people to get off without paying their fare share, putting an inordinate burden on those who will benefit the least from those paid-for-with-taxes projects.)

user-inactivated  ·  2570 days ago  ·  link  ·  

    Every single one of those loopholes was intentionally put there, so someone could use it.

Man, we should stop here before we get into a fucking argument about cronyism again.

goobster  ·  2570 days ago  ·  link  ·  

:-)