Comments on: Tax and the Left http://www.openleft.co.uk/2009/08/10/tax-and-the-left/ Open Left is a project aimed at renewing the thinking and ideas of the political Left. We seek an open conversation across the Left about the kind of society we want and how we can best bring it about. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:33:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Value Added Tax and Adam Smith | Credit Card Payment Site - Citicards, Discover Cards, American Express Cards http://www.openleft.co.uk/2009/08/10/tax-and-the-left/comment-page-1/#comment-7252 Value Added Tax and Adam Smith | Credit Card Payment Site - Citicards, Discover Cards, American Express Cards Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:54:44 +0000 http://www.openleft.co.uk/?p=1238#comment-7252 [...] here to get an idea of what some basic principles of a good modern tax system should look like – [...] [...] here to get an idea of what some basic principles of a good modern tax system should look like – [...]

]]> By: Sales Use Tax » Value Added Tax and Adam Smith http://www.openleft.co.uk/2009/08/10/tax-and-the-left/comment-page-1/#comment-1763 Sales Use Tax » Value Added Tax and Adam Smith Sat, 12 Feb 2011 20:46:04 +0000 http://www.openleft.co.uk/?p=1238#comment-1763 [...] here to get an idea of what some basic principles of a good modern tax system should look like – [...] [...] here to get an idea of what some basic principles of a good modern tax system should look like – [...]

]]> By: treborc http://www.openleft.co.uk/2009/08/10/tax-and-the-left/comment-page-1/#comment-240 treborc Mon, 17 Aug 2009 05:15:40 +0000 http://www.openleft.co.uk/?p=1238#comment-240 Tax you mean to fight wars, to waste on silly IT schemes to give some Yankee firm a bigger profit, no bloody way, if you mean do I want the tax used to benefit the people within the UK yes of course, but you cannot keep taxing the poorest to pay for the richest. Tax you mean to fight wars, to waste on silly IT schemes to give some Yankee firm a bigger profit, no bloody way, if you mean do I want the tax used to benefit the people within the UK yes of course, but you cannot keep taxing the poorest to pay for the richest.

]]> By: NickJ http://www.openleft.co.uk/2009/08/10/tax-and-the-left/comment-page-1/#comment-236 NickJ Fri, 14 Aug 2009 10:21:24 +0000 http://www.openleft.co.uk/?p=1238#comment-236 Without disagreeing to anything in the article the issue the left (or any political entity) will face with tax is the vexed question of incentive. I used to think that "tax the buggers to death" was a good philosophy however it leaves the question of why should anybody try without some personal return. The issue becomes one of how much tax is enough and how much tax is a disincentive? Another issue then appears which is where do taxation levels and new investment coincide? It is not as easy as simply taxing the rich. Without disagreeing to anything in the article the issue the left (or any political entity) will face with tax is the vexed question of incentive. I used to think that “tax the buggers to death” was a good philosophy however it leaves the question of why should anybody try without some personal return. The issue becomes one of how much tax is enough and how much tax is a disincentive? Another issue then appears which is where do taxation levels and new investment coincide? It is not as easy as simply taxing the rich.

]]> By: michael_green http://www.openleft.co.uk/2009/08/10/tax-and-the-left/comment-page-1/#comment-220 michael_green Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:21:50 +0000 http://www.openleft.co.uk/?p=1238#comment-220 The American Republicans are happy to spend taxes on the military and the means to kill people, but not on healthcare and the means to save people's lives.<br><br>It shows up the brutality of conservative thinking and that kind of ideology. The American Republicans are happy to spend taxes on the military and the means to kill people, but not on healthcare and the means to save people's lives.

It shows up the brutality of conservative thinking and that kind of ideology.

]]> By: timworstall http://www.openleft.co.uk/2009/08/10/tax-and-the-left/comment-page-1/#comment-217 timworstall Mon, 10 Aug 2009 17:02:13 +0000 http://www.openleft.co.uk/?p=1238#comment-217 The first list of one through five could be dealt with by a flat tax with a high threshold. Given that Richard is vehemently opposed to such a thing I guess that means that those five principles aren't in fact all that important. Or not sufficient perhaps.<br><br>"that this can be done without harm to the economy as a whole"<br><br>Well, at some point you're going to get on the wrong side of the Laffer Curve.<br><br>Worth noting that the top 10% of households currently have a post tax income of around £160 billion (they already pay around £60 billion nett). Let us double taxation on the rich.....get another £60 billion say. Whoopee, we've just raised 9% of the total amount needed to run our current State. And does anyone think that if we double the current tax burden we won't see some Laffer effects?<br><br>Seriously? An average tax rate of 55% (note, average of all income, not marginal) isn't going to have some effect upon effort and output? The first list of one through five could be dealt with by a flat tax with a high threshold. Given that Richard is vehemently opposed to such a thing I guess that means that those five principles aren't in fact all that important. Or not sufficient perhaps.

“that this can be done without harm to the economy as a whole”

Well, at some point you're going to get on the wrong side of the Laffer Curve.

Worth noting that the top 10% of households currently have a post tax income of around £160 billion (they already pay around £60 billion nett). Let us double taxation on the rich…..get another £60 billion say. Whoopee, we've just raised 9% of the total amount needed to run our current State. And does anyone think that if we double the current tax burden we won't see some Laffer effects?

Seriously? An average tax rate of 55% (note, average of all income, not marginal) isn't going to have some effect upon effort and output?

]]> By: Tax Research UK » Tax and the Left http://www.openleft.co.uk/2009/08/10/tax-and-the-left/comment-page-1/#comment-216 Tax Research UK » Tax and the Left Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:53:31 +0000 http://www.openleft.co.uk/?p=1238#comment-216 [...] have an article under the above title on the Demos Open Left site this [...] [...] have an article under the above title on the Demos Open Left site this [...]

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