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AS DEMOCRATS PUSH A "WEALTH TAX," HERE'S WHY OTHER COUNTRIES GOT RID OF IT
Mises Institute ^ | 6/26/2019 | Daniel J. Mitchell

Posted on 06/29/2019 5:29:46 PM PDT by Beave Meister

I wrote five years ago about the growing threat of a wealth tax.

Some friends at the time told me I was being paranoid. The crowd in Washington, they assured me, would never be foolish enough to impose such a levy, especially when other nations such as Sweden have repealed wealth taxes because of their harmful impact.

But, to paraphrase H.L. Mencken, nobody ever went broke underestimating the foolishness of politicians.

I already wrote this year about how folks on the left are demonizing wealth in hopes of creating a receptive environment for this extra layer of tax.

And some masochistic rich people are peddling the same message. Here’s some of what the Washington Post reported.

A group of ultrarich Americans wants to pay more in taxes, saying the nation has a “moral, ethical and economic responsibility” to ensure that they do. In an open letter addressed to the 2020 presidential candidates and published Monday on Medium, the 18 signatories urged political leaders to support a wealth tax on the richest one-tenth of the richest 1 percent of Americans. “On us,” they wrote. …The letter, which emphasized that it was nonpartisan and not to be interpreted as an endorsement of anyone in 2020, noted that several presidential candidates, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Pete Buttigieg and Beto O’Rourke, have already signaled interest in addressing the nation’s staggering wealth inequality through taxation.

I’m not sure a please-tax-us letter from a small handful of rich leftists merits so much news coverage.

Though, to be fair, they’re not the only masochistic rich people.

Another guilt-ridden rich guy wrote for the New York Times that he wants the government to have more of his money.

(Excerpt) Read more at mises.org ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: betoorourke; billionaires; classwarfare; congress; democrats; economy; elizabethwarren; liberals; misesinstitute; money; onepercent; petebuttigieg; politicians; socialism; sweden; taxes; taxtherich; ultrarich; washington; wealthtax
All these other countries have seen the reality. And evolved. The "Rich" have always written themselves out of the taxation conundrum...they, like their politician puppies, have not been affected by laws that us taxpayers are burdened with.
1 posted on 06/29/2019 5:29:46 PM PDT by Beave Meister
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To: Beave Meister

Wealth taxes are literally unconstitutional here.

The United States Constitution prohibits any federal direct tax on asset holdings (as opposed to income tax or capital gains tax) unless the revenue collected is apportioned among the states on the basis of their population.

It’s all class warfare and political theater


2 posted on 06/29/2019 5:35:13 PM PDT by laxcoach (Government is greedy. Taxpayers who want their own money are not greedy.)
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To: Beave Meister

On top of being bad policy, it’s just really hard to do. Financial assets are mobile and leave the jurisdiction. Real assets often can’t be sold piecemeal to raise the taxes.


3 posted on 06/29/2019 5:39:05 PM PDT by babble-on
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To: Beave Meister
Waiting on these "ultra-rich" to go ahead and write a check to the Treasury.

No need for a revision of the tax law....do it NOW, if you're serious.

4 posted on 06/29/2019 5:42:50 PM PDT by ealgeone
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To: Beave Meister
IIRC Bella Pelosi is one of our richest Congresscritters...many,many millions.I wonder if she,like so many of our billionaires,thinks she should be paying more in taxes.

If she does,I wonder if she "donates" money to the US Treasury over and above what she's required to pay by law.

I'd bet the clothes on my back that she doesn't.

5 posted on 06/29/2019 5:51:50 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (A joke: Comey,Brennan and Lynch walk into a Barr...)
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To: ealgeone

When I do my taxes I always have the choice to itemize or take the standard deduction. It is that: a choice.

Anyone signing such a letter who chooses to itemize is a hypocrite who knows that it is easy for the wealthy (namely them) to buy themself out of a tax bill and actually get a cut of my taxes by additionally buying favorable government subsidies.


6 posted on 06/29/2019 5:52:38 PM PDT by organicchemist (Without the second amendment, the first amendment is just talk)
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To: laxcoach
The United States Constitution prohibits

LOL. Quaint.

7 posted on 06/29/2019 5:55:34 PM PDT by workerbee (America finally has an American president again.)
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To: Beave Meister

I do NOT understand why the wealthy give money to candidates who want to take your money away.


8 posted on 06/29/2019 5:56:35 PM PDT by Singermom
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To: ealgeone
You're right...anyone can do it.Right now!

Donating To The US Treasury

9 posted on 06/29/2019 5:58:14 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (A joke: Comey,Brennan and Lynch walk into a Barr...)
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To: laxcoach

You have a lot more faith that the Constitution will be followed than I do.


10 posted on 06/29/2019 6:02:01 PM PDT by Sequoyah101 (We are governed by the consent of the governed and we are fools for allowing it.)
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To: laxcoach; Beave Meister

>
Wealth taxes are literally unconstitutional here.

The United States Constitution prohibits any federal direct tax on asset holdings (as opposed to income tax or capital gains tax) unless the revenue collected is apportioned among the states on the basis of their population.

It’s all class warfare and political theater
>

To be fair, so it literally ~90%+ of the Federal budget: illegal\extra-Constitutional...if not in direct opposition to numerous Rights outside of A1S8.

Then you get into the violations of the 16th A....never written/passed to violate 4th A. (privacy/papers), 5th (which are ‘voluntary’ signed-away every filing) nor 13th (taxes are used for Ponzi/vote-buying...not services provided).

Just face it, we’ve not had a Constitutional Republic in a long, L-O-N-G time; and nobody should be holding their breath for the (R)N(C) to correct the course (having written/passed: ‘Patriot Act’, NCLB, NSA, TSA, TARP, $1T+ deficits, Porkulus, etc.)


11 posted on 06/29/2019 6:12:14 PM PDT by i_robot73 (One could not count the number of *solutions*, if only govt followed\enforced the Constitution.)
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To: Beave Meister

Next time Warren Buffet says “raise my income taxes” because he doesn’t show any income anyway suggest a wealth tax instead and see how fast he runs away.


12 posted on 06/29/2019 6:12:44 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Capitalism produces EVERYTHING Socialists/Communists/Democratic-Socialists wish to "redistribute.")
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Bingo.... Warren Buffet will be exiting the stage pronto.


suggest a wealth tax instead and see how fast he runs away.
13 posted on 06/29/2019 6:16:05 PM PDT by ptsal
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To: Beave Meister

They show four countries have wealth taxes.

Three are France, Portugal, and Spain.

Anyone know the fourth country with a wealth tax?


14 posted on 06/29/2019 6:23:04 PM PDT by marktwain (President Trump and his supporters are the Resistance. His opponents are the Reactionaries.)
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To: marktwain

Apparently there are more than 4...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_tax


15 posted on 06/29/2019 7:04:04 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: Beave Meister

The number one cause for income inequality in the United States of America is unskilled illegal immigrants flowing in from third world countries. Build the Wall and deport the cheap labor.


16 posted on 06/29/2019 8:54:58 PM PDT by Beave Meister (Leave the gun. Take the cannoli....)
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