Communities are based on cross-subsidization. The strong help the weak. The rich help the poor. Wherever possible this is done without loss of dignity. A progressive tax system and the welfare state seemed to accomplish this--at least to some degree.
If you want to move away from cross-subsidization then you must accept the loss of community (at least in today's secular world.) Say hello to Clockwork Orange. arthur -----Original Message----- From: Keith Hudson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2003 1:29 AM To: Cordell, Arthur: ECOM Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: A progressive tax system? (was: Hue and Cry, etc) At 10:34 25/06/2003 -0400, you wrote: <<<< Keith, maybe we can apply some maths to reach a truly fair, and progressive tax system. >>>> A "progressive" tax system? Surely, you're joking! What a progressive tax system does is to encourage tax evasion by the rich and to strip dignity from the poor. No sensible rich person in England pays more tax than, say, the average middle-class person; no employable poor person in England in receipt of government credits will take a job because, in practice, anything extra he earns will be taxed at 100%. If you want a sensible tax system that everybody -- and I mean *everybody* -- doesn't mind paying (in principle), then you have to tap into the same instinct of status-flaunting that motivates consumer spending. In England, everybody tries to pay as little Income Tax as possible but the middle-class are proud of paying their Council Tax because this is based on the value of their house, and thus they get great pleasure in talking about it whenever possible. Similarly, Mormons are honest about paying tithes to their church and are not reticent in telling you how much (at least, this is what I have been told by some Mormon missionaries whom I invited in for a glass of water). Keith Hudson Keith Hudson, 6 Upper Camden Place, Bath, England _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
