Comments on: heh redux http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/ Sharpening my knife Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:01:23 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: swong http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-1468 swong Tue, 26 Feb 2008 07:05:33 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/#comment-1468 Well, he does do <a>a little philanthropy</a>. Yeah... cutting a check to the general fund probably doesn't give the same kick as breaking ground on a shiny new museum or research institute or hospital wing. Too many straws in that <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=CIj2cuSLWIM" rel="nofollow">milkshake</a>. Well, he does do a little philanthropy.

Yeah… cutting a check to the general fund probably doesn’t give the same kick as breaking ground on a shiny new museum or research institute or hospital wing. Too many straws in that milkshake.

]]> By: pushmedia1 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-1467 pushmedia1 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 02:06:17 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/#comment-1467 Yeah, I was going to make a caveat talking about how you define rich... There's a few people (the top .001% let's say) that make a majority of their income on capital gains. This is taxed at much lower rates than normal income. (There's actually a good economic argument for low taxes on capital...) Actually, Buffet's comments are what spawned all this talk. The point being this: if Buffet thinks he personally doesn't pay his fair share then why the hell doesn't he donate some amount that he thinks is fair to the general fund? And if he thinks his cohort of 400 or so gagillionaires don't pay enough, I'd think he's persuasive enough to have his friends put something in the hat if he were to pass it around. Better yet, he can offer to pay some portion of the rest of our tax bills. The collective action explanation doesn't answer the question: why doesn't Buffet donate to the general fund? Yeah, I was going to make a caveat talking about how you define rich… There’s a few people (the top .001% let’s say) that make a majority of their income on capital gains. This is taxed at much lower rates than normal income. (There’s actually a good economic argument for low taxes on capital…)

Actually, Buffet’s comments are what spawned all this talk. The point being this: if Buffet thinks he personally doesn’t pay his fair share then why the hell doesn’t he donate some amount that he thinks is fair to the general fund? And if he thinks his cohort of 400 or so gagillionaires don’t pay enough, I’d think he’s persuasive enough to have his friends put something in the hat if he were to pass it around. Better yet, he can offer to pay some portion of the rest of our tax bills.

The collective action explanation doesn’t answer the question: why doesn’t Buffet donate to the general fund?

]]> By: swong http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-1466 swong Tue, 26 Feb 2008 01:27:11 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/#comment-1466 Hm, one learns something new every day. Why <a href="http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/money/tax/article1996735.ece" rel="nofollow">this</a> then? (Not trying to argue, just curious). Maybe the breakdown looks different when state/municipal taxes are considered as well? Hm, one learns something new every day. Why this then? (Not trying to argue, just curious). Maybe the breakdown looks different when state/municipal taxes are considered as well?

]]> By: pushmedia1 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-1465 pushmedia1 Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:21:33 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/#comment-1465 The rich don't pay lower percentage of their income in taxes than the poor. See the very right column of the first diagram <a href="http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2007/07/fair-share-of-taxes-and-fair-trade-vs.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>. The rich don’t pay lower percentage of their income in taxes than the poor. See the very right column of the first diagram here.

]]> By: swong http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-1464 swong Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:11:16 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/#comment-1464 My take? Depends on who's doing the judging. Fairness is highly subjective. The rich in the US pay a lower percentage of their income in taxes than the poor. The rich contribute far more tax dollars than the poor. Both of these facts are true, but few people can reconcile them. Irrespective of the taxation rate, at least one party will feel persecuted. --- Right now would be a perfect time to look at campaign donation figures. My take? Depends on who’s doing the judging. Fairness is highly subjective.

The rich in the US pay a lower percentage of their income in taxes than the poor. The rich contribute far more tax dollars than the poor. Both of these facts are true, but few people can reconcile them. Irrespective of the taxation rate, at least one party will feel persecuted.

—

Right now would be a perfect time to look at campaign donation figures.

]]> By: pushmedia1 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-1463 pushmedia1 Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:09:56 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/#comment-1463 Barry, this is exactly what the data are telling us and paraphrasing McArdle: People don't want to pay more taxes themselves, they want everyone to pay more taxes. This means, of course, people don't believe they're individually paying less than their fair share (i.e. the percent of total taxes they pay is not too low). Great question swong. Your take? Barry, this is exactly what the data are telling us and paraphrasing McArdle: People don’t want to pay more taxes themselves, they want everyone to pay more taxes.

This means, of course, people don’t believe they’re individually paying less than their fair share (i.e. the percent of total taxes they pay is not too low).

Great question swong. Your take?

]]> By: swong http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-1462 swong Mon, 25 Feb 2008 20:37:43 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/#comment-1462 Here's a question: do we judge fairness based on how much the other guy contributes, or on how much it costs him? Here’s a question: do we judge fairness based on how much the other guy contributes, or on how much it costs him?

]]> By: Barry http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/comment-page-1/#comment-1460 Barry Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:12:07 +0000 http://www.ambrosini.us/wordpress/2008/02/heh-redux/#comment-1460 Comment #10 over on CT, posted by David W summed it up perfectly: "But that question answers itself: it’s easily worth $300 to me to increase spending on basic science by $6 billion, but it isn’t worth $300 to me to increase spending on basic science by $300. So I’m willing to vote for the tax but not to make the contribution. Collective action problem. End of story." Comment #10 over on CT, posted by David W summed it up perfectly: “But that question answers itself: it’s easily worth $300 to me to increase spending on basic science by $6 billion, but it isn’t worth $300 to me to increase spending on basic science by $300. So I’m willing to vote for the tax but not to make the contribution.

Collective action problem. End of story.”

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