Taxing wealth instead of work is touted as an important part of the solution to the wealth gap, but I’m curious which other solutions have been proposed or attempted and have succeeded or failed.
Taxing wealth instead of work is touted as an important part of the solution to the wealth gap, but I’m curious which other solutions have been proposed or attempted and have succeeded or failed.
Would removing the sales tax be in addition to the wealth tax?
As a counter proposal to reducing or eliminating the sales tax, what would you think about eliminating income tax?
This should be done in general. But before I continue asking questions, are all your suggestions in addition to a wealth tax, all together, or separate?
Great questions!
Yes and no.
Yes, there should be a wealth tax.
No, removing the sales tax stands as a solo proposal.
I am very much for a wealth tax, but removing the sales tax should not be proposed alongside a proposition for a wealth tax. This decreases support since a wealth tax is much more controversial than “hey how about we stop taxing bread?”
(In Germany, income tax is progressive, but I think that the following also applies to countries like Russia, where everyone is taxed 13% of their income.) Eliminating income tax would be a massive tax reduction for the most wealthy. Meanwile, people on social security or low income would basically hardly have any additional money. Studies have shown that sales tax is the tax that, percentage wise, is by far the greatest burden on low/no income households.
As briefly mentioned above, I am very much pro wealth tax, but you do not need a wealth tax for the suggestions to be sensible. They can stand alone, and they should, since it is easier to get a majority to agree to them one by one (or to somemof them) than to the whole package.
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I would also like to add: free public transport, investing in public transport, invest in (free) education programs, free childcare, and strengthening union rights so that workers have more leverage.
As well as, and this will probably sound insanely evil, but I want it to sound this way, because removing the humanitarian aspect of accepting refugees and immigrants can be beneficial if you want to have right wing people on your side: let more foreigners in. You get young workers that are highly eager to work. They will send money home, sure, but they will also spend money. Get the ruble rolling. Again, they also gotta eat, gotta live, gotta get clothes. They will spend everything they earn one way or another, and this will boost the economy - since most of them work in low paying jobs and won’t put their money in the bank. Hell they will pay taxes and contribute to the pension fund and stuff! You want foreigners! You’re getting fresh meat to exploit!