Comments on: Get Ready For a VAT

By: youthgrunt

youthgrunt — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:14:19 +0000

The reason that I favor tax cuts rather than allowing ANY tax increases is that eventually it will control spending. When you open the door to an invisible tax like a VAT then spending will balloon because there is a continual source of new funds that can be raised without the pain of making it look like they are increasing taxes.

The only way that I would favor a VAT is if it is REPLACING another tax (like corporate income taxes). But that is not what is being floated, as best as I can tell. We are looking for more and bigger government.

Francis’ question is a good one. “How big should we let the government get?” The debate is not ever held on that level. We talk about “should the government fix this thing or that thing” rather than “how influential should the government be in the private sector?”

My guess is that conservatives would win that discussion.

By: baserunr

baserunr — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:35:27 +0000

I don’t want it is the government “helping” me pay for healthcare. Every time the government tries to “help”, it costs me more money. I just don’t see how taking a pile of money from the populace, sending it to DC (where they deduct a hefty handling charge) and having the DC Washingtonians decide what serves ME and MY FAMILY best for healthcare is more efficient than me making that determination on my own. I have no right to order a doctor to treat me, and tell him how much he will be paid for the effort. The government does not have that right either. It is a negotiation between the parties. The way to reduce the cost of healthcare is to get the government out of the middle of it.

By: tedpomeroy

tedpomeroy — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:13:01 +0000

Have a healthcare VAT pay to fund health savings accounts (HSA)!

By: tedpomeroy

tedpomeroy — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:10:48 +0000

Tempest,

Back in 1980’s I was hoping that RR would just dump the financially broken Social Security system, but he raised the taxes and saved it.

People love him for it. He had no philosphical problem preserving the New Deal.

People want a healthcare system and believe me we want it so employers do not pay for it. So I say let the consumer save the money through a Health Savings Account.

Empower people, it get people to vote right!

By: 6eorge Jetson

6eorge Jetson — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:01:20 +0000

Why, you’ll be elgible to collect starting on your 80th birthday.

It ain’t pretty.

By: skorrent1

skorrent1 — Wed, 27 May 2009 20:34:10 +0000

The Fair Tax removes taxes on exports, taxes imports, and is a lot more transparent than the VAT. Just sayin’.

I still don’t love the Prebate, but it’s beginning to look a lot better than the alternatives.

By: Hera

Hera — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:58:02 +0000

The VAT is being floated as a way to pay for health care. The problem is its a tax on everyone when Obama promised to only tax the rich with tax cuts for everyone else. Of course only foolish Obama supporters really believed Obama’s campaign promises.

By: tyrusray367

tyrusray367 — Wed, 27 May 2009 19:23:57 +0000

According to international trade rules, reimbursing manufacturers VAT for products exported is NOT considered an unfair trading practice.

Every nation with a VAT practices this kind of trade subsidy while the US equivalent was ruled illegal by the WTO.

Yes, that means everyone else in the world is subsidizing exports except us.

Not a reason to support a VAT by any means, the arguments laid out here about creeping and unseen tax hikes are absolutely right.

By: tempest

tempest — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:30:54 +0000

…to save Social Security…to save Medicare…to support Education (it’s for the children), to save [insert liberal cause here].

People don’t have a right to health care!

This is RedSate so go away….don’t waste your time here.

By: tedpomeroy

tedpomeroy — Wed, 27 May 2009 17:41:36 +0000

In recent months I proposed a retail only tax on all goods and services. (No hiding the tax further down the supply chain1)

It is a healthcare added tax (HAT) for purpose of funding health savings for every person and/or family.

We need to wake up and offer the HAT as a grand compromise to provide universal healthcare coverage without involvement for employers!

If presented properly, it is a political winner!

By: johnt

johnt — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:24:44 +0000

a bet on your supposition, whatever “they” are talking about at the moment. The European model is their guide, except to the extent they will go beyond it. As has been said,”we are all in this together” and by God we will all pay for it.
I certainly do not expect equivalence in tax reductions for both cap-and-trade and a Vat. A bone perhaps, equivalence no.

By: The_Gadfly

The_Gadfly — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:10:13 +0000

The VAT still comes out of otherwise productive spending and investment and gets burned up in useless government spending. The economy still tanks, it just tanks in the stagnation of all current European governments instead of the great downward spiral of the home mortgage collapse.

Economics is the art of allocating scare resources amongst infinite demand. It can have scientific studies about how the money circulates, gets created, and what effect various taxing schemes have, but at the end of the day it is still an art that requires good judgment. The kind of spending The Big 0 wants is not supported by good judgment, and there is no way around that truth.

By: Maggie_in_Indiana

Maggie_in_Indiana — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:07:40 +0000

taxes (cap and tax) to dig in our wallets and keep us from enjoying the lifestyles we worked so hard for in our lifetime. Our kids will never know the freedom of spending the money they work to earn.

By: Francis Cianfrocca

Francis Cianfrocca — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:38:41 +0000

My guess is that Obama will address this problem by increasing income-tax credits and abating the payroll tax for low-income people. That’s the solution they’re talking about for dealing with the regressivity of cap-and-trade.

By: IJB

IJB — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:57:27 +0000

And when do retarded liberal/left voters wake up and realize they’ve been had. Then after that, when do they begin to apologize to us normal people?

Lefties (they’re not liberals) will never apologize for anything - they don’t think they’re doing anything wrong. And anyone who disagrees with them is evil.

And the vast majority of them will never change.

The only “cure” for that is the grave.

By: wrenhal

wrenhal — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:53:34 +0000

and I can’t find any link between Pawlenty and a VAT other than he is mentioned several times on the Americans for Tax Reform website as a good guy.

By: johnt

johnt — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:52:58 +0000

Domestically big enough to run a dog pound, internationally, big enough to crush North Korea without a hiccup.
I can dream can’t I ?
Liberals have ached for a Vat for years, the beautiful thing about it to them is that you can have small increases every two years or so & before long you’re up to the 20%-24% range. So much for taxing only the rich.
And when do retarded liberal/left voters wake up and realize they’ve been had. Then after that, when do they begin to apologize to us normal people?

By: larryp

larryp — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:51:58 +0000

squish GOP…When I was in Nova Scoria in ‘95, at the stores the staff apologized for the VAT. At that time there was Province and General and they were figured in separately. I think it was 4% and 7%. Sorry, sorry, said the cashier….
Ourght to draw a pillow with the tax rates on it–smother the economy, particularly the retail economy

By: NightTwister

NightTwister — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:28:02 +0000

Used to be when people around here would throw out an accusation like that, they’d back it up with a link.

By: realityunwound

realityunwound — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:21:38 +0000

n/t