10 sats \ 5 replies \ @faradayfedora 31 Aug 2023 \ on: What's NOT a scam that everyone thinks is a scam? meta
This is going to get a strip torn off me on here....
Taxes, as long as they are fair as reasonable.
I like roads and free healthcare is pretty rad
The problem is, who gets to decide what is fair and reasonable?
The mafia has a word called 'pizzo' which is money paid to the mafia in the form of a forced transfer of money resulting from extortion. In return for paying the pizzo, businesses receive protection and can ask the mafia to resolve disputes.
The government has a word called 'tax' which is mandatory contributions levied on individuals or corporations by a government entity. In return you get protection in the form of police, roads, health care, schools and other services.
Taxation might be the best system we currently have.. but let's not pretend the mechanics of how it works aren't extortion. At the end of the day we're all just groups of humans driven by incentives. Some of the monkeys tell the other monkeys what to do for their own best interest.
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I'll be interested to hear what country you live in, my country certainly doesn't have "fair and reasonable" taxes. However, we have roads, and free healthcare.
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Canada, it's FAR from perfect but looking around at what some others have to deal with in their countries, a am grateful for what we got.
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Also, I wonder if you can call something, "fair", if it's taken from you without consent?
Is there anything else that can be taken from you without your say so?
I'm in the U.K. for context, our health system is a joke, it's dead, nobody wants it admit it. People are trying to afford private healthcare if they have it available to escape the system.
Glad to hear Canada is doing better.
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