Text 1613, 73 rader
Skriven 2007-05-15 20:18:22 av Ross Cassell (1:123/456)
     Kommentar till en text av Björn Felten (2:203/2)
Ärende: Cell phones
===================
Hello Björn!

16 May 07 02:05, you wrote to me:

 BF>>>    Even caviare and champagne? :)

 RC>> I never developed a taste for either, or wine for that matter..

 BF>    My point was of course that even groceries have a lot of stuff that
 BF> is exempt from life's necessities.

With todays sophisticated point of sale equipment, its nothing to have the
registers programmed to collect tax on some items whilst not doing so for
others.

I'll give you an example, in my state, on the first fri,sat and sun of the
month of august, we do have a sales tax holiday, its tied in to the back to
school selling season. Many states have something similiar, its to exempt from
the sales tax, those items parents would typically buy for their children in
preparation for the upcoming school year. Clothes, school supplies, laptop
computers etc etc.

Our registers have no problem making the distinction between items that are
exempted and those that are not, its not hard, each item has its own file and
the data within the file has a field in it that denotes whether or not it is
taxable.

 BF>    In fact, how many people today do you think get their food from
 BF> specialized groceries vs. how many get them from supermarkets where
 BF> you can buy almost anything -- from egg, milk and bread to a TV set, a
 BF> computer or even a Mercedes?

I could go for taxing goumet stuff.

 RC>> Sure, tax everything else, leave my food alone.. ;-)

 BF>    Why? Even tax evaders have to eat, you know.

 BF>    Imagine that you got rid of income tax completely and replaced it
 BF> with a 40% VAT. What would the result be? Well, you probably know as
 BF> well as I, that in the US, as well as in Sweden, the richest people
 BF> pays almost no income tax, so they would not benefit from the income
 BF> tax "reduction". But they most certainly have to use their money,
 BF> sooner or later, and then -- hey presto! -- they are forced to pay
 BF> taxes like everyone else.

You describe what they call a fairtax over here, will probably never see the
light of day. Essentially a federal sales tax, which would further be
exacerbated by the additional state and local sales taxes.

Income taxes, you are aware that we have a federal income tax and then most of
us have a state income tax on top of that?

Does Swedens provinces(or whatever term) come after income like that as well?

 RC>> Dont you ever wonder if your legislators are sitting up there in
 RC>> their marble palace simply trying to concoct new ways to get at
 RC>> your money?

 BF>    Not really (remember I almost became one... :) ). They are human
 BF> beings like the rest of us. Well, at least here in Sweden. They
 BF> eventually have to climb down from their ivory towers and pick up
 BF> their kids from kindergarten like the rest of us.

Our politicians arent human beings, they are professional tax leviers..

==
Ross
Fidonet Feeds Or Fidonet In Your Newsreader: http://www.easternstar.info
E-mail: ross(at)cassell(dot)us | Blogs/Other Places: http://links.cassell.us
... Without High Taxes And Welfare, Liberals Are Nothing!
--- GoldED+/W32 1.1.5-30413
 * Origin: The Eastern Star - Spartanburg, SC USA (1:123/456)