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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Peter Dierks who wrote (696444)	8/12/2005 12:59:34 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769668

Greatest good for the greatest number of people.... That is (or should be) one of the guiding principles for government policy. I believe it is both obvious --- and backed by a wealth of statistical evidence --- that taxing wages (a tax on production) occasions greater harm to a society then taxes on inherited wealth do... ceuterus paribus. Re: "...Wages are predictable and thus a good source of revenues. Taxing only large estates is discriminatory." So? 'Progressive' taxation of wages is also 'discriminatory' on it's face... one of the reasons I strongly support reform of our tax system to bring about a Flat Tax. Taxing wage income... but either not taxing (or taxing at different rates) OTHER forms of earnings (some people earn money via physical labor, some earn by mental labor, etc.) is also discriminatory on it's face. Re: "Do you really want to discriminate against the successful?" ... <G> Only when they are dead and can't fight back! :) [Remember that old political maxim? 'Don't tax me, don't tax you... tax that fellow behind the tree!) LOL! Just kidding. My REAL reason is that I believe a well-designed (not too high rate, high wealth threashold to trigger) estate tax produces FEWER HARMS to society and the national economy then EITHER taxes on WAGES, or taxes on CAPITAL GAINS or INVESTMENT EARNINGS. (And, there has always been a strong streak of Americanism in the concept that each generation should make it's own way... succeed by dint of their own labors and talents... and that 'silver spoon aristocracy' is an old Europe problem, not an American one.)