What is the worst tax you can think of?

[DamianTV]

Aside from Income Tax.

IMHO, its the hidden tax of inflation...

[Danke]

Ya, besides liquor tax, I agree - Inflation.

[amy31416]

Property tax.

[SerArris]

Property tax.

I agree with this! Makes it seem like you never own your property.

[muzzled dogg]

inheritance tax is kinda dicked up

[SerArris]

inheritance tax is kinda dicked up

I had the "inheritance tax" argument with a coworker last year. He is a a really nice guy BUT he kept saying that when someone dies the government should take everything. Nothing should be passed from one to another. I never could get my head around that idiocy. Of course, that kind of thinking is rampant around where I work. I am definitely in the minority...

[Zeeder]

The property tax is the worst tax. And it's the one the freedom movement seems to talk the least about.

Any state or county that elimanates the property tax will have me coming.

[Danke]

The property tax is the worst tax. And it's the one the freedom movement seems to talk the least about.

Any state or county that elimanates the property tax will have me coming.

Alaska outside of Anchorage?

[Mike4Freedom]

Property tax is the worst. Its my property that I bought and paid for. Why do I need to pay rent to the local government for services I don't want or use.

[amy31416]

Property tax is the worst. Its my property that I bought and paid for. Why do I need to pay rent to the local government for services I don't want or use.

I despise inflation, but I can minimize the effect of it with proper planning and making some sacrifices, property taxes are difficult, if not impossible to counter. It forces you to pay for BS gov't schools that are failing everyone and allows a local gov't an avenue to seize your belongings.

The only good thing I can say about it is that it's at least still a local thing.

[Mike4Freedom]

The only good thing I can say about it is that it's at least still a local thing.

I fear it may be a federal thing as well in the future. A carbon tax for every house you own comes to mind.

[Danke]

I despise inflation, but I can minimize the effect of it with proper planning and making some sacrifices, property taxes are difficult, if not impossible to counter. It forces you to pay for BS gov't schools that are failing everyone and allows a local gov't an avenue to seize your belongings.

The only good thing I can say about it is that it's at least still a local thing.

Bury a body in your backyard. Have your land declared a cemetery. Now the land is tax free. That's what I did.

[Natalie]

Property tax is terrible. There is no private property. The government owns all of the land. We just rent it from them.

[amy31416]

Bury a body in your backyard. Have your land declared a cemetery. Now the land is tax free. That's what I did.

You have all the best ideas...planning on leaving this terrestrial plane anytime soon? I'm clean out of corpses these days.

I was thinking that perhaps I'd just mount a giant cross on my roof, get one of those internet minister certificates and declare my property a church--that could work without all the pesky ghosts haunting me.

[TheBlackPeterSchiff]

inheritance tax is kinda dicked up

THIS!!!

The fact that a man cant leave his life savings (thats already been taxed) to his family or a charity without uncle sam sticking his filthy hands in it after I die is fucked !!!

[AlexMerced]

Does it have to be a real tax, because a tax on child birth would be pretty horrible... and that would probably be reverse progressive cause it'd be higher if you poorer to prevent poor people from making babies.

That would be a horrible tax, or a progressive life tax, basically you pay a tax to live which gets higher as you get older, so if you don't become rich you get "phased out"

A progressive Sales tax via national ID cards would be pretty heinous

[Brett]

Any sin tax, cigarettes, etc.

If we can't legislate morality we'll just tax it! (then legislate it anyway)

[Nate-ForLiberty]

death tax

[low preference guy]

the tax for renouncing your citizenship...

but that's more of a diagnosis tax. it shows the state is desperate.

[noxagol]

All taxes are equally horrible, because they are all theft.

[mikem317]

All forms of taxation require violence, or the threat of it, so they're all equally bad.

I think inflation is probably the most insidious because only 1 in a 100 know anything about it. They basically get away with it with only a small, and seemingly infective minority, being the wiser.

[Mahkato]

The Blink Tax is bad. 5¢ every time you blink.

[mikem317]

The Blink Tax is bad. 5¢ every time you blink.

How about a carbon-dioxide tax? Some arbitrary fee for every time you exhale?

[Wolverine302]

inheritance tax boggles my mind. the tax on social security when you start collecting. LOL omfg, i laughed so hard when i heard about that for the first time.

[mtj458]

Sin tax- it allows the government to motivate our behavior through taxation.

Economically speaking, property taxes are among the best however. Income taxes discourage production. Consumption taxes discourage consumption. Property taxes on land can't discourage land ownership because it has a fixed supply, so it changes incentives the least out of any tax. As a general rule, the less elastic the supply, the more efficient the tax is.

[peacepotpaul]

Christian tax, being taxed for practicing your religion

[Pauls' Revere]

The Death Tax.

btw Obama is resurrecting it.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123846422014872229.html

Lawrence Summers, President Obama's chief economic adviser, declared recently that "Let's be very clear: There are no, no tax increases this year. There are no, no tax increases next year." Oh yes, yes, there are. The President's budget calls for the largest increase in the death tax in U.S. history in 2010.

The announcement of this tax increase is buried in footnote 1 on page 127 of the President's budget. That note reads: "The estate tax is maintained at its 2009 parameters." This means the death tax won't fall to zero next year as scheduled under current law, but estates will be taxed instead at up to 45%, with an exemption level of $3.5 million (or $7 million for a couple). Better not plan on dying next year after all.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123846422014872229.html

please pass on to Tea Party members, they will love it.

[AceNZ]

Asking which tax is the worst is like asking which form of theft is worst--they're all bad--and whichever one is happening to you at the moment is the worst.

FWIW, New Zealand has no death tax, no capital gains tax, and very low property taxes (appx 0.1% of land value per year).

[slothman]

I like the inheritance tax.
Why should someone get billions of dollars just because
of chance.
They didn't earn it.

[noxagol]

I like the inheritance tax.
Why should someone get billions of dollars just because
of chance.
They didn't earn it.

Sure they did. Whoever died felt that person deserved to have his/her stuff when he/she died, so therefore, they earned it. Just because they don't meet YOUR criteria of earning something doesn't mean they didn't earn it.

[keh10]

Economically speaking, property taxes are among the best however. Income taxes discourage production. Consumption taxes discourage consumption. Property taxes on land can't discourage land ownership because it has a fixed supply, so it changes incentives the least out of any tax. As a general rule, the less elastic the supply, the more efficient the tax is.


The only problem there is that property tax is inefficient. Many resources are wasted every year to determine the value of the land being taxed. Also, it discourages development.

[Rylick]

death tax and flat rate withholding tax

/the death tax in my opinion is just pure burglary by the state. Why do they have to put taxes on something that has already been a subject to taxation ?!

[mrsat_98]

Any tax that comes out of the Trading with the enemy act as amended on March 9, 1933. Hopefully we all recognize this one. This of course would include anything that cam from the buck act, sales and income. DUH they made everything a military reservation subject to Trading with the enemy Act provisions. IF this is not treason will someone please advise me as to why not ?

MY 2 cents worth. We need to become the new TEA party, TREASON EXCEEDS AUTHORITY join forces and educate the current TEA party. In the event we get them educated then we can TEA TEA on the Tyrants next election.

[Dforkus]

My opinion would be that the capital gains tax is the worst, as it encourages people to do essentially the wrong thing..

If I make a significant investment I can either make money, or lose money. If I make money, ALL, of it is taxed. If I lose money, I can only deduct 3k per year...

So the question becomes why invest at all, especially in any high-risk high reward investment, might as well just blow it on a toy or two....

My compromise plan would be to phase out cap gains based on the time the investment is held.

The current tax codes gives investors a significant break if the hold for greater than 12 months, but then every investment from 12 months - infinity are treated the same way...

My plan would be to gradually reduce the rate down to zero for investments held longer than 12 months so that investments held several years or more would be tax free.

It's ironic that many of the European governments, who are generally aggressive in income and VAT taxation, do some variation on this..

I would think/hope people could get on board with this as it encourages sound/responsible investing...

[slothman]

Sure they did. Whoever died felt that person deserved to have his/her stuff when he/she died, so therefore, they earned it. Just because they don't meet YOUR criteria of earning something doesn't mean they didn't earn it.

I'm not saying that heirs are criminals but a
thief "earned" their stolen money too.
Well I don't think they do but they didn't earn it from
your definition.
Why is your's right with respect to
inheiretence(sp) as well as right dealing with stealing?
What about someone's who thinks stealing is good?

Of course taxing assets instead of income, in easy forms
like stock and gold and actual money, is better.
Want to help, buy machines and hire more people to run them.
Saving like that isn't good relative to the economy.

[echebota]

Bury a body in your backyard. Have your land declared a cemetery. Now the land is tax free. That's what I did.

In my county in order to qulify for property tax exemption the propert has to be used only as a place of worship or minister residence. They also exempt cemetaries, but I can not find the qualification criteria. Now I'm intrigued :) If you are serious about this, can you share, how many bodies you have to bury :) and can the property contain a buidling structure (my residence)?

[Travlyr]

The property tax.

The U.S. Constitution for the first time in recorded history allowed the right to own sovereign title to property to the common man. This opened the door for wealth for the masses. All wealth comes from the land... either mine it, sew it or grow it. The masses were gaining wealth on a large scale until the right to own allodial title to property was taken away.

This fundamental right to fully own property is essential to liberty and prosperity.

[The Patriot]

Death Tax.

[Brian4Liberty]

Third world and gangland style "tax" is pretty bad. Cops and hoods randomly and at will take your money/assets...

[The Patriot]

Third world and gangland style "tax" is pretty bad. Cops and hoods randomly and at will take your money/assets...

The Taliban has a more desirable taxation system in my view. All they have is a flat income tax of 10%, nothing else.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/18/taliban-committee-kunduz-afghanistan

[krazy kaju]

I would agree that the property tax is probably the most tyrannical, aside from the income tax.

[muzzled dogg]

emigration tax

[Rylick]

emigration tax
haha, I would've never imagined that there would be a tax like that

[AceNZ]

I like the inheritance tax.
Why should someone get billions of dollars just because
of chance.
They didn't earn it.

First, why does the amount matter in the slightest?

Second, so what if the recipient didn't earn it? The giver / decedent did (gift taxes are part of the same body of tax law as death taxes).

The issue is that when you truly own property, that includes the right of how that property is disposed -- and its disposition includes what happens after you die. If you can't control the disposal of your property (without having a big chunk of it stolen in the process), then you don't own it. If you agree to taxation of any kind, then you are agreeing that the State owns everything, and that you are merely a renter / serf.

The best approach to challenging taxes of any kind is based on rights, principles and morals. You can't argue that one form of taxation is OK while others are not; if you open the door to one, you open the door to them all. All taxes are immoral.

[SevenEyedJeff]

The worst tax I can think of....a 1 cent tax for every breath you take. Plus you have to pay a $ 50 fee to have a breath counter (in the form of a microchip) installed in your windpipe, with the data transmitted to IRS headquarters via GPS.

P.S. You won't get too much exercise.

[DamianTV]

So, what if it wasnt necessarily the tax itself, but how it was used...

Like Social Security. How many times has our Congress tried to tap into that as a source of money for whatever other schemes they can come up with?

I mean if we had a tax on internet access, and it was used to fund medical funding for illegal immigration, would you get pissed off more about the tax itself, or how the tax is used?

[CzargwaR]

capital gains tax

[Jordan]

My opinion would be that the capital gains tax is the worst, as it encourages people to do essentially the wrong thing..

If I make a significant investment I can either make money, or lose money. If I make money, ALL, of it is taxed. If I lose money, I can only deduct 3k per year...

So the question becomes why invest at all, especially in any high-risk high reward investment, might as well just blow it on a toy or two....

My compromise plan would be to phase out cap gains based on the time the investment is held.

The current tax codes gives investors a significant break if the hold for greater than 12 months, but then every investment from 12 months - infinity are treated the same way...

My plan would be to gradually reduce the rate down to zero for investments held longer than 12 months so that investments held several years or more would be tax free.

It's ironic that many of the European governments, who are generally aggressive in income and VAT taxation, do some variation on this..

I would think/hope people could get on board with this as it encourages sound/responsible investing...

This is why wealthy investors typically set up an Scorp for investing/trading and make a claim with the IRS to do a 475f election. The 475f allows for mark to market as its accounting system, so gains and losses are no longer capital gains, but treated as ordinary income. Thus, through an Scorp, losses greater than $3k can be claimed.

Also, since an SCorp is "pass through" income, there is no corporate tax. You can choose to pay yourself, or pass through income in any way imaginable, all while maintaining your same tax bracket AND writing off far more than $3k of losses.

There, I said it. Cat is out of the bag :P

Edit: This is only beneficial for people who generate a ton of short term (<1 year capital gains) since the short term capital gains tax rate is the same as ordinary income.

[nandnor]

I despise inflation, but I can minimize the effect of it with proper planning and making some sacrifices, property taxes are difficult, if not impossible to counter. It forces you to pay for BS gov't schools that are failing everyone and allows a local gov't an avenue to seize your belongings.

The only good thing I can say about it is that it's at least still a local thing.
Inflation causes business cycles. Cant stop them :(
Thats what makes it so horrible. Not only does it take your wealth and promote bad habits through punishing saving, it also causes the whole production structure to malform.

[Lovecraftian4Paul]

Estate/Inheritance tax. This is one I'm totally convinced was put there by some kind of old aristocracy or elite. How many families, through smart investments, savings, and principles over generations, would've caught up to the old money by now if not for these taxes?