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Metaphorical

(2,549 posts)
35. A tax on spending rather than income
Mon Nov 3, 2025, 07:55 AM
16 hrs ago

Set an arbitrary minimum limit, such as $1M per year which incurs no taxes, certain exemptions (first house for instance), with progressively higher tax brackets as spending increases. Apply the same principle to corporations - if they buy a CEO contract, they will have to pay the taxes on that contract, while spending per employee starts to incur taxes above $250,000 a year including compensation. Taxes are paid within the seller's jurisdiction.

The idea is simple - the notion of an income tax by itself is regressive because it penalizes savers - those who build capital - while rewarding spenders - those who consume capital. It also concentrates power because the biggest spenders usually end up with the most power. A spending tax forces corporations to invest into pools with no one investor being able to dominate that pool - you need to raise capital, then you need to create a community of investors to do so.

This may seem counterintuitive but I think the problem we're facing at the moment is we have too much capital investment by too few people, and we ironically have far more capital than is actually needed, given advances in technology. It also forces both people and corporates to save rather than to rely upon debt to capitalize a project. Day to day spending by most people is not affected, other than the fact that there isn't a frantic rush to spend on needless purchases because the system is geared towards spending.

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1 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Thank you for the data. yellow dahlia Sunday #1
Hiding In Plain Sight Mr.Bee Sunday #2
My MAGA relatives would say, Diamond_Dog Sunday #3
I would tell them Mr.Bee Sunday #6
Well, you can imagine how they feel about FDR. Diamond_Dog Sunday #11
Did any of them ever stop to think Diamond_Dog Sunday #22
I certainly heard that line many times over the years in markodochartaigh Sunday #17
EVER SINCE REAGAN, (actually HWBush's CABAL) popsdenver 5 hrs ago #49
++++1000 Diamond_Dog 5 hrs ago #50
If the Republicans continue popsdenver 4 hrs ago #51
Median wage has been stagnant relative to productivity for 45 years. pat_k Sunday #4
Please supply reference links. Not disputing your excerpts, but backup documentation is needed. erronis Sunday #7
Oh! I beg pardon- Mr.Bee Sunday #9
World Economic Forum, Capital in the 21st Century, pat_k Sunday #10
Thank you! erronis Sunday #15
They've been stealing from us for decades Mr.Bee Sunday #12
FWIW pat_k Sunday #14
Regarding weakening of unions and tax law that facilitated concentration of wealth: pat_k Sunday #13
Republicans always talk about "redistribution of wealth". markodochartaigh Sunday #19
Yes, R's have been hellbent on systematically "redistributing wealth" from the hands of the many to the hands of the few pat_k Sunday #23
Why don't the labor unions understand these charts and data? FakeNoose 12 hrs ago #40
Sadly, a great deal of damage had been done by '60. pat_k 9 hrs ago #41
That also means that the current business model Javaman Sunday #5
FDR's concept of the minimum wage: Mr.Bee Sunday #8
And, policies that concentrate wealth in the hands of the few at the expense of the many make for a very fragile economy pat_k Sunday #18
I very much concur Metaphorical 21 hrs ago #34
And who was in charge then? Oh yeah Ronald Reagan. Initech Sunday #16
Yes he certainly did. Diamond_Dog Sunday #20
Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980 KS Toronado Sunday #21
Must do more than raise the minimum wage. Inheritance tax, wealth tax, capital gains taxed higher than labor and... pat_k Sunday #24
Oh there's a ton of stuff we need to get done and quickly. KS Toronado Sunday #32
My big worry is that too few of our electeds are out there advocating for the big stuff. pat_k 23 hrs ago #33
A tax on spending rather than income Metaphorical 16 hrs ago #35
Should be at least $30 per hour MichMan Sunday #31
Seattle's minimum wage is 20.76 and will increase to 21.30 1/1/26 pat_k 8 hrs ago #42
The minimum wage as established in 1938 was 25 cents per hour MichMan Sunday #25
But did it have the same purchasing power? leftstreet Sunday #27
In 1957, J. Paul Getty was worth $2-4 billion dpibel Sunday #30
Raygun made munimum wage political southmost Sunday #26
K&R Bayard Sunday #28
Big corps worked to keep prices down and wages low. Klarkashton Sunday #29
That goes back HarryM 15 hrs ago #36
So glad you pointed this out. cer7711 15 hrs ago #37
Minimum wage should have been indexed to inflation like Social Security. n/t Buttoneer 15 hrs ago #38
From the comercial. "I was drowning in debt." Hotler 14 hrs ago #39
TOP TEN COUNTRIES of Minimum wage chouchou 8 hrs ago #43
K&R BlueWavePsych 7 hrs ago #44
"republicans"... Godot51 6 hrs ago #45
When You Say 'Republicans' Mr.Bee 6 hrs ago #46
"... until 1980, when it was frozen for nine years." Grins 6 hrs ago #47
The last Increase Before Reagan Mr.Bee 6 hrs ago #48
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