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Abolish the Federal Income Tax and stop class warfare (II)

What passes for debate on Taxes nowadays quickly descends into an argument on “if the rich are paying their fair share”, or “should we raise the taxes on those who can afford it the most”.

This is a diversion tactic to take our limited attention spans away from what should be the true debate, on the amount of taxes we pay and how they are spent.

This is Class Warfare and to some it is a perfectly legit form of warfare, especially to the ~24% of us who don’t pay income taxes.

The Class Warfare/Fair Share argument tears at the fabric of our society by setting up an “us versus them” conflict. This conflict will have no good ending. I fear the populists.

Taxing is a way to de-incentive an activity, whether it is an un-desirable activity such as smoking and drinking or a desirable activity such as working.

We tax tobacco to reduce smoking, why would taxing work have a different effect?

It doesn’t, and every economist out there including the Marxists agree.

Indeed Marx said as one of his ten points in the Communist Manifesto, “a heavy progressive or graduated income tax” as required to bring about a Communist Society or in other words a society of equals. That is what being a progressive means. Not what it’s mutated into as some sort of warm fuzzy feel good philosophy.

But we are not a society of equals, nor do we want to be. Some of us have more abilities than others. Not fair, but it is reality. Some of us design bridges, fly planes, drive race cars, teach children to read, or become nurses and doctors. Can you imagine the blandness of a society where everyone was the same?

I for one want to go to a doctor that excelled and was given every incentive to excel and to attend every seminar in her/his field and learn the absolute latest knowledge.

Our society runs/works/advances on our citizens who are successful, we didn’t go to the moon or get bridges built on those that have demonstrated the ability to be un-successful, did we?

Yet, by having a “progressive income tax” we are holding our great society back and limiting what we can accomplish as a nation.

A level of taxation is needed to run and defend country, no argument there. But, nothing says it has to be a progressive income tax or even an income tax at all.

One Response to “Abolish the Federal Income Tax and stop class warfare (II)”

1. bbuckley Says:
   September 18th, 2007 at 10:13 am

   Great post and let us not forget the United States got along fine with an income tax until 1913.

   CT got along fine with an income tax until 1980-something.

   NH gets along fine without income tax to this day.

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