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A passive aggressive Freudian slip?

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From an editorial in today’s Seattle Times (the emphasis is mine):

California’s tax structure is more aggressive. In addition to a sales tax it has a personal income tax. California designed its income tax to lay heavily on the wealthy, so that in good times it had a bountiful harvest of capital gains.

I think the the word they were looking for was “progressive,” but even an accidental description of an income tax as “aggressive,” because, unlike our system, it taxes the wealthy at higher rates than the poor, speaks volumes about the Times’ attitude toward tax fairness.

Comments

  1. 1

    I noted in this editorial that the Times says our state’s budget woes aren’t as severe as California’s, partly because: “Washington taxes corporate revenue; California taxes corporate profit. When a recession hits, profit falls more.”

    Sounds like a ringing endorsement of the state’s Business & Occupation Tax!

  2. 2

    A native Californian, I spent preschool-12th grade at California schools, plus 11 years at UC campuses. Now I have a good income from a Washington job. Instead of cutting education budgets, California should be taxing us graduates to educate those unfortunate to be born in bad economic times. Alas, Washington State lacks an income tax (to partially forward to California) and California does not tax its successful graduates. Volunteer donations are not the answer — all graduates need to conribute.

  3. 3

    I saw this story in the WSJ about CA taxes in WSJ the other day:

    Democrats for a Flat Tax?

    Susan Kennedy, a Democrat who serves as Mr. Schwarzenegger’s chief of staff and who is the most important unelected official in the Capitol, was recently asked at a business event what the state tax system needed. “Flatness,” she replied. “Our revenue stream is way too progressive.”

  4. 4

    Lulz. You libs are losing all across the board! Nobody wants ObamaCare, CapNTrade, luxury taxes AND $2 trillion deficits! Obama is about to meet his Waterloo and there is nothing he can do about it. GO ahead, bash away at the GOP, when it’s Blue Dogs who are blocking your agenda.

  5. 5

    Maybe things like parking tickets should be a percentage of the offenders income rather than a fixed amount. That way, offenders would have an equal incentive to obey the law.

    Same with sales taxes. What’s unfair about that?

  7. 7

    #5
    Nokia boss gets record speeding fine

    A director of the Finnish telecommunications giant, Nokia, has received what is believed to be the most expensive speeding ticket ever.

    Anssi Vanjoki, 44, has been ordered to pay a fine of 116,000 euros ($103,600) after being caught breaking the speed limit on his Harley Davidson motorbike in the capital, Helsinki, in October last year.

    Harley Davidson motorbike
    Mr Vanjoki is a Harley Davidson enthusiast
    Police say he was driving at 75 km/h (47 mph) in a 50km/h (31 mph) zone.

    In Finland, traffic fines are proportionate to the latest available data on an offender’s income.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1759791.stm

  8. 8

    re 7 — Interseting. I did not know that. Now I have some ammo when someone scoffs at the idea.

  9. 9

    A different perspective on progressive taxes/fines:

    Progressive Taxation, an Assault on Liberty

    Progressive taxation is the idea the larger your disposable income, the larger percentage of that income you ’should’ pay in taxes. Proponents of it—and these days nearly everyone one is—claim it is more ‘fair.” But let’s be honest and call things by their right names and say what progressive taxation is really about.

    Even John Stuart Mill, who favoured it, called progressive taxation “a mild form of robbery.” That’s because progressive taxation is about using the tax code to redistribute wealth. It’s base on the class-warfare idea that the rich get rich illicitly and conspire to keep the riches of society for themselves. It uses the law (coercion) to correct what some people see as the social and economic injustice meted out by the marketplace.

  10. 10

    @9

    If progressive taxation is “a mild form of robbery,” then what is “progressive taxation?”

  12. 12

    Now com’n guys, you KNOW that if Washington State were to enact a state income tax, all the wealthy people would just pick up and move to a state with no income tax, thereby depriving the state of the revenue it seeks.

    Just look at California, where virtually ALL the wealthy people left the state after the income tax was enacted. Yep, rows of mansions in San Diego, Orange County, Malibu, and Hollywood are standing empty, as all the millionaires and multi-millionaires left en masse to one of the seven no-income-tax-states such as Alaska, South Dakota, etc.

    What??? Wait a minute…. Well, why the hell not not????? What do you mean when you say people with money decide to live wherever they want to live without much concern for local tax structure???? Why, that’s socialist nonsense!!!! Communistic, even!!!!!

  13. 13

    5. Whistling at the Weather spews:
    Maybe things like parking tickets should be a percentage of the offenders income rather than a fixed amount. That way, offenders would have an equal incentive to obey the law.

     
    Sounds like a good way to punish those that make money.
     
    How much should the criminals that don’t have reportable income (cash from drug sales, burglaries, etc.) pay since their “income” would be so low.

  15. 15

    @7 and 8…

    with that logic, someone on welfare or the public dole would get paid for speeding…..

  17. 17

    nolaguy, Puddy identified these exoduses over the last two years. Puddy wonders if Steve and clueless wondermoron have those posts? Anyway one year they figgered over 5000 CA millionaires left due to the excessive taxation on the high end peeps. What was the funniest were most of the mass migrations are from the blue zones where the Donkey roam. One link had identified 111 millionaires leaving Pelosi’s tax welcome wagon of the 5000 “I’m outta here” millionaires. All that lost revenue for Gavin Any Twosome Newsom. Check with Steve and clueless wondermoron they are keeping track of the many Puddyisms on HA libtardos.

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