Many EU countries have a “VAT” and like feel like this is kinda targeting poor people. Like, for the rich, this is insignificant, for poorer people, a (example) 20% tax would be a huge burden. Why do they do this?

🤔

  • ERROR: Earth.exe has crashed@lemmy.dbzer0.comOP
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    1 month ago

    If you’re asking why not just tax the rich in place of a VAT, well, it’s sort of why not tax the rich to pay for absolutely everything we could want.

    So basically, you can only tax so much before the rich get mad and leave the EU? 🤔

    • Lauchs@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      No, EU member states handle taxes individually.

      But, that ease of travel is one inducement. (Consider, as billionaire Spaniard learns the government plans to tax an additional 100 million euros. With no border, is moving a few km next door to Portugal worth a 100 million?

      More meaningful though is business taxes/regulations, which are a large part of why Europe has lost so many Unicorns to the NYSE and why within America, Texas is kind of killing it in terms of business relocations.

      I personally think it’s a race to the bottom but those are the constraints that exist.