Probably for another thread but....
What is a reasonable tax? We need to support things like police, fire departments, infrastructure, public education.... We don't need to support exorbitant salaries for public servants. Another subject for a different thread.
Property tax just means you are renting you property from the government. Maybe a huge deduction for basic living.
Income tax: probably OK with a generous deduction for cost of living, regardless of income.
Sales/Value added tax: Probably OK if not for necessities like food, medicine, clothing.
Just asking..
I agree with that. Right up to the point where it is being warped and twisted by right wing extremism to destroy public education. Privatize police and fire. Ignore infrastructure. Today we are seeing the plan and path that too much long term power by Republicans brings us.
As for exorbitant salaries for public servants - we don't do that. And certainly not compared to what IS exorbitant in Corporate America. What we DO support is exorbitant salaries for the C-suite of too many corporations! The massive tax breaks they get are literally paid for on the backs of the working people in this country - and that includes people up to somewhere in the 96-98% range! You have to be one of the top 2% or so to get REAL tax breaks! Over and above the extra 13% break from Social Security, is the little shell game of counting W-2 salary differently than bonus, stock options, etc.
Not just a reply to RA - for general consumption....
When you see the C-suite makes $800,000 a year salary, then bonus, options of $10 Million...or 30 or 40 million.... All that means is that they are paying taxes on a pittance. And the big money comes from the other $9.2 Million which is taxed as long term capital gains with a maximum 15% (or 20 in some cases) tax. THAT is why the calls for paying their fair share! If they make $800 k or $100 Million, the tax should be the tax, without artificial paybacks just because they have the power to write the tax laws for themselves.
Property tax always has been and always will be just another form of serfdom - paying tribute to the lord of the manor. Don't ever see it changing.
And that is where so many "libertarians" are just so totally ignorant of history and law when they blather on about "freedom" and "liberty" and all the other pablum they spew! Ain't no such thing as any of that. As an entity, the US started out as a group that took by force what was the property at that time of King George. Who had taken by force, extortion, bribery, and fraud, what "belonged" to a wide variety of other groups. (It only belongs to you if you can keep it by force.)
So instead of paying about 1.5% tribute to George, whose previous governments had financed, invested in, and worked to build a 'company' here, we now get to pay 40% to our local rulers. By the way, George's levies on the colonies were extremely casual - amounting to income to the crown that was MUCH less than the cost of the operation, by way of defense, supply, etc. We were getting an incredible bargain, and about half of us were too stupid to realize what a great deal it was! The majority wanted to keep it like it was, cause they knew a good thing when they saw it! Like today, the richest were unappreciative and greedy and wanted more, so that's why they started up all that stuff with England.
Property tax is double, triple, quadruple, and more, taxation! Tax on the income used to pay for it. Tax on every single board, nail, bit of concrete, stick or piece of anything and everything that goes into the house (simplifying 'property' to housing.)
But hey, how else are we gonna get those extra $Trillions a year to fight the unjustified wars to satisfy our Imperialistic Voyeurism??
Tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax,... And that list doesn't even start to cover the total different taxes we have.
