Posted on 04/07/2002 12:57:08 PM PDT by stiga bey
The Russians stole the BOMB from us.
They definitely beat us into space.
I salute them for stealing our flat tax idea and putting it to good use.
I'm sure former Soviet emmigrants might be contemplating a move back to the old country now that economic as well as political freedom have took root.
I've been saying that the only kind of campaign finance reform that will work is a flat tax. You have to reduce the amount of influence that the government can peddle if you want to reduce corruption. Call it "supply-side" campaign finance reform, if you will. If McCain was halfway intelligent and honest, he would have been beating Steve Forbes' drum.
Russia is on it's way to being a less corrupt and more transparent country than the USA. Sigh.
I was thinking more about recent immigrants within the past decade or two.....and only if they could not cope with the complexity of American society.
The fact that you are a member of this forum places you in the top 1% of politically astute Americans.
But for some reason, when I tell that to the other 99%, they don't buy it.
It is one of history's astonishing ironies that Marxism lives on in the DNC and the American media, while it has been utterly rejected in Russia.
I am adamant in explaining this to my friends.
Who would ever think that Russia would be friendlier to business in such a short time?
There is less here than meets the eye,
The major businesses(greater then 20 employees) make up 89% of the business done, and pay 30 - 35% in profits taxes,a broad ranging VAT, as well as excises on specific products.
The story above appears to be an echo of a similar one from the St Petersburg Times, which lays out the same information but indicates some resistance in the Duma for some of the provisions regarding Social taxes. Seems some want to put the Social taxes on the business alone and leave elevated rates.
See a description of Putin's proposal in St Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimesrussia.com/archive/times/757/top/t_6098.htm
As well as what the Russian Tax system currently looks like as a whole, to get a feel for the actual impact of the changes, if any, enacted.
The Russian system appears to be a European style VAT on steriods. The changes to the system have not modified the VAT rate nor its Structure, and in fact expanded the number products which are subject to their VAT to include medications and other previously exempt items.
The Russian politicians appear to have an even better shell game than our politicians do.
The Tax Gap
First it was the "Bomber Gap". Then the "Missile Gap". Then the space race.
Now there is a new gap and the Russians are undoubtedly ahead of us. And this time, the outcome could really determine which country leads the world. What’s worse, our government isn’t even in the race.
In January, 2001, Russia took a giant leap forward by enacting a 13% flat tax. While this was certainly more significant than the launch of Sputnik, it got little attention in the US press and virtually no attention from our government. Most Americans have not even heard that Russia has taken the lead in this vital area.
The flat tax has been, as any decent economist would have predicted, wildly successful. The Russian economy has grown by leaps and bounds. This has caused the government’s tax revenues to skyrocket by 28%.
Not content to sit on their laurels, the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has announced plans to cut taxes for small business – the driving force behind any modern economy. In addition to cutting their tax rate, Putin intends to roll back the tax-related regulations that are hamstringing small businesses in Russia.
In the meantime, here in the US, state governments are busily enacting more taxes on things like candy, garden seeds, and yarn. The Democrats in Congress are demagoguing targeted tax cuts, saying that they will come out of the entirely fictional Social Security Trust Fund. When will our politicians ever learn that lowering the tax rate increases tax revenues?
The bomber gap and the missile gap didn’t really exist. The space race was a public relations gimmick. But the tax gap is of real importance because taxes act as a drag on the economy. The economy with the lowest drag will grow faster than those burdened by higher taxes. This is a race we cannot afford to lose if we would maintain our primacy in world affairs.
So what can we do to beat the Russians in the all-important contest? We could adopt a flat tax like they have, and our economy would soar like their economy has. But why simply imitate the Russians? Why adopt half-measures? The income tax is a tax on earning and work – the very things we need to encourage if we want our economy to grow. We should adopt a tax on spending.
Imagine never having to fill out personal tax forms again. Imagine a country where businesses did not make decisions based sole on tax implications. Imagine a country where all of the brain power and effort that now goes into getting around the tax system were channeled into productive directions. And lastly, imagine a country without the IRS.
Without the chains of an income tax, our economy would skyrocket. The country would prosper as never before. Governmental revenues would go through the stratosphere. And we would be ahead of the Russians.
That’s a race worth winning.
And will be as long as we keep electing socialists like GW Bush.
We'll be socialist. But we won't be a superpower.
What is going on? Please let me know how to log off.
You left out GOP.
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