They certainly pay sales taxes, possibly property taxes too, they probably have to pay fines because the cops love to prey on the poor, and there’s also fees to use government services. That’s all taxes.
But there’s this concentrated attempt to denigrate people with lower income as useless eaters that don’t contribute to society, and so they don’t think any of that counts.
No it’s not the government that is stealing from us its the Uber wealthy that use our tax money (that should be going to the greater good of the citizens of the country) for their own gain.
So I’m aware there is a right-libertarian argument at work here that frames all taxes, always, as “stealing”. However, there’s an argument here that can be used along more democratic socialist lines.
Taxation in representative democracy is legitimate when the democracy itself lives up to the terms. We have come to some kind of consensus as a society on the level of taxation and where that money should go. When we do that, and we say the road is “our road”, we mean that in a literal way. A part of the fruits of our labor were diverted to build that road, and we get a say in how it works.
The US is not a democracy that lives up to the term. “Taxation is theft” is correct in this context.
Right, that’s the point of the “taxpayer” dog whistle. It trains people to think that poor people don’t pay taxes, and implies they’re lesser members of society because of it.
The poor pay the largest portion of their wages in taxes. They also benefit society far beyond any other social group. It’s the wealthy that take the most from the rest of us and pay almost nothing back.
They certainly pay sales taxes, possibly property taxes too, they probably have to pay fines because the cops love to prey on the poor, and there’s also fees to use government services. That’s all taxes.
But there’s this concentrated attempt to denigrate people with lower income as useless eaters that don’t contribute to society, and so they don’t think any of that counts.
Totally fair. I wasn’t thinking about all the taxes the government steals from us, just the income tax
No it’s not the government that is stealing from us its the Uber wealthy that use our tax money (that should be going to the greater good of the citizens of the country) for their own gain.
So I’m aware there is a right-libertarian argument at work here that frames all taxes, always, as “stealing”. However, there’s an argument here that can be used along more democratic socialist lines.
Taxation in representative democracy is legitimate when the democracy itself lives up to the terms. We have come to some kind of consensus as a society on the level of taxation and where that money should go. When we do that, and we say the road is “our road”, we mean that in a literal way. A part of the fruits of our labor were diverted to build that road, and we get a say in how it works.
The US is not a democracy that lives up to the term. “Taxation is theft” is correct in this context.
As with everything context is key. Taxation is not inherently theft, but in the USA, it absolutely is.
Right, that’s the point of the “taxpayer” dog whistle. It trains people to think that poor people don’t pay taxes, and implies they’re lesser members of society because of it.
The poor pay the largest portion of their wages in taxes. They also benefit society far beyond any other social group. It’s the wealthy that take the most from the rest of us and pay almost nothing back.
They’re just stupid and meant folks who make millions and billions don’t pay their share of taxes