Had one local preacher man point out that he wishes he could pay more taxes. His reason being that by paying more taxes we would all benefit from better government services such as schools, hospitals and roads. He acknowledged that he was in the minority by taking this view. After some discussion with Dr H I can see why he would be in the minority.
Basically more taxes would result in bigger bureaucracies, not better services. There won’t be any money left after bureaucrats have sunk their teeth. There is no incentive to produce a high quality of product as the money is not their own.
Also, if one wants to pay more tax then there is nothing stopping you. Simply open up the chequebook and make it out to ‘Deputy Commissioner of Taxation.’ All donations will probably be received with shock.
Probably a better idea would be to donate to your local school or hospital, at least your money would be better spent there. There’s even the option of falsifying your tax return to make out that you earn more. That way you will be taxed more. Or if you are lucky enough to receive a tax return, hand it back with a smile. I’m sure the ATO won’t mind.
Taxation on my income is stealing. I didn’t give them permission to take my hard earned. If I didn’t have to pay income tax I could more easily pay for private health insurance, mortgage repayments and car maintenance.
If the government was serious about easing the burden on working families they would spend less and steal less.
Basically more taxes would result in bigger bureaucracies, not better services. There won’t be any money left after bureaucrats have sunk their teeth. There is no incentive to produce a high quality of product as the money is not their own.Also, if one wants to pay more tax then there is nothing stopping you. Simply open up the chequebook and make it out to ‘Deputy Commissioner of Taxation.’ All donations will probably be received with shock.
Probably a better idea would be to donate to your local school or hospital, at least your money would be better spent there. There’s even the option of falsifying your tax return to make out that you earn more. That way you will be taxed more. Or if you are lucky enough to receive a tax return, hand it back with a smile. I’m sure the ATO won’t mind.
Taxation on my income is stealing. I didn’t give them permission to take my hard earned. If I didn’t have to pay income tax I could more easily pay for private health insurance, mortgage repayments and car maintenance.
If the government was serious about easing the burden on working families they would spend less and steal less.
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8 comments:
"Taxation on my income is stealing. I didn’t give them permission to take my hard earned."
Don't you work for patient transport? Doesn't that mean your "hard earned" comes from a government body? If you don't like paying tax, move to North Korea, where I'm sure work will be easy to find and the standard of living far superior to Australia
"If I didn’t have to pay income tax I could more easily pay for private health insurance, mortgage repayments and car maintenance."
And you would have no roads to run your car on and no power or water for your house.
Matthew 22:17-21
David, why would Tim want to move to North Korea if he wanted to pay less tax? The 'move to North Korea' jibe is normally played at people who want more tax, not less.
Income tax is a federal tax. Roads, power and water are all state government issues. Even then, power and water are largely funded through user charges. While the federal government does fund some road works, this is funded through petrol excise, a sort of user charge. Therefore, if income tax were abolished, it would hardly affect roads, power, or water.
Tom, I would like to hear your comment on that bible passage. Does it mean that Tim (or any other Christian) is not allowed to advocate a cut in income tax?
Dave:
* I pay an electricity/gas bill to AGL for the supply and maintenance of electricity and gas grids
* I pay a water bill to Sydney Water for the supply and maintenance of our water system. This bill is due to rise soon to pay for the Desal plant that nobody wanted
* I pay motorway tolls, fuel excise and a multitude of fees to the RTA for the maintenance and upgrades for our roads
No mention of income tax here so how can one say that we will be without these services if we didn't pay income tax?
tom:
I'd prefer if you explain how you feel this reference in Matthew relates to what I have said. Anyone can quote to a bible verse, but without the explanation it is somewhat meaningless
I question I'd like to ask Tim, is whether you voted Liberal in 2004. I'm pretty sure the answer to this question is yes, considering most of the rest of the posts here.
If this is the case, then you voted for them, knowing that one of their policies would be to tax the income of Australian workers. This being the case, you should not now be complaining that he has taxed you over the past 3 years, indeed, going so far as to call them a thieves. They were very clear that they would tax Australian people in the lead up to this election, and yet I’m sure you voted for them again this time around.
On a more general note, I don't think you can call taxation "stealing". When a government is legally given power by the people to govern the country, is the government therefore when using the resources of that country? When God imposed a tax on the Israelite people, was God stealing?
I think its one thing to discuss what the best way of managing the economy of a government, but it is another thing to call it criminal when it is entirely legal. If you were just using hyperbole, then please say so now and I’ll leave you to it.
Also, I notice from the answers provided here that a distinction is made between state expenditure and federal expenditure. Half the state government revenue comes from the federal government. If a thief takes your money and his girlfriend spends it – she is just as guilty if she knows where it comes from.
Also, a distinction seems to be made between income tax and other taxes. Why is this the case? Isn’t the GST just income tax which the government receives when you spend it, rather than when you earn it? If income tax is stealing, then so are other taxes, and such a distinction should not be made.
Oh, and the North Korea jibe is because technically there are no taxes in North Korea, but then again when everything is owned by the government, you don’t really need them. :)
Sorry if that came across agressive because it was so long - its more that I have heard that phrase (stealing) a few times and I have thought quite a lot about it
Dave,
If you have thought a lot about this then I'd have to say your week could have been much more productive.
You are right though, all taxation can be called stealing. I am just choosing to talk about income tax at the moment, as in the tax that is taken directly from our income before we see it.
No, God was not stealing from the Israelites because everything comes from God. We learnt that back in that "Cash Values" study book back in 2006.
But be careful because sometimes you sound like you are comparing God with 'The State' (i.e. Government). There is no comparison. Kevin Rudd is no Messiah, neither was John Howard for that matter.
Lastly, who I vote for is really nobody's business so I refuse to answer that question.
David, voting for a particular party does not mean agreement with and endorsement for every issue on the party platform. It is compulsory to vote, and one can only cast a vote for a candidate on a whole package of issues. One could even vote defensively by preferring a candidate or party that will do the least harm. Tim is not a representative of any particular party, and is allowed to speak his mind freely, no matter what candidate he voted for.
I am sure you would not endorse legal positivism. Things are not right just because 'the state' says they are right in the statute books. One cannot appeal to the statute books as a guide for whether something is right or wrong. Where is the contract between me and the commonwealth government where I agreed to have around one third of my income taken from me. I have looked all through my filing cabinet and cannot find it.
Clearly, God does not steal, but are you using this argument to say the state is not stealing. Do you equate the state with God?? Perhaps a more accurate modern day equivalence is giving money in the plate at church.
The argument of having no power or water for the house without income tax is incorrect for two reasons. First, they are not federal issues, and second, they are paid for with user charges. GST money does go to the states to help pay for roads. But is this your argument to say that if income tax were abolished we would have no roads?
The GST is not an income tax but an expenditure tax. However, taxation is theft, whether it be income tax, or the goods and services tax, but I take it Tim was limiting this post to talk about income tax alone.
In slave society like North Korea, the tax rate is 100 per cent.
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