At 02:04 17/08/2012, you wrote:
A bit tax is an indirect tax, like the gasoline tax, and collecting
it doesn't increase govt debt.
arthur
It doesn't matter that it's an indirect tax, it still adds onto the
total tax that a government is able to tax without cramping the
wealth producing part of the economy. A bit tax would have the same
effect as Gordon Brown's "stealth" taxes (during the last 8 years of
the 12-year Labour government). His taxes were well-nigh invisible
and apparently of little consequence but they added up to higher
government debt at the end of his term than before it.
Keith
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Keith Hudson
Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2012 8:42 PM
To: RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION
Subject: [Futurework] Arthur's 5th belief
At 21:17 15/08/2012, Arthur wrote:
5. That money will be found (from a bit tax, a tobin tax, some other
form of turnover indirect tax) to provide a basic income, or to provide
spending for some other type of workfare activivities in the third sector.
A consensus of the evidence from all existing advanced Western
nation-states (particularly from high-welfare Nordic countries) is
that total government taxation of around 40/45% of GDP is as much as
governments can manage without stumbling into deep debt. Some
countries are beyond any possibility of redeeming that debt already
(e.g. Japan, Greece, Hungary, Ukraine) and others are now reaching
the very edge of possible redemption by means of austerity for many
years (e.g. Spain, Portugal, UK, Italy, US). All others are at
various stages in between with only a few governments (e.g.
Finland, Germany) with a chance of reducing their debts. Even the
latter might not be able to afford basic incomes or workfare schemes.
Keith
Keith Hudson, Saltford, England
<http://allisstatus.wordpress.com/>http://allisstatus.wordpress.com
Keith Hudson, Saltford, England http://allisstatus.wordpress.com
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