SO! This week was about taxes, among other things... I think we can all agree that taxes are actually no fun at all. (Not that we ever thought they were to begin with...) We learned about the three different types of taxes: proportional, progressive, and regressive. Thanks to Sarah, we were all placed into groups of her decision, and were given taxes. If you were lucky and had a load of money just sitting in your hands, then the taxes weren't really that bad. However, if you were like me, Sarah or Ani, who only had a few thousand to deal with, taxes are a main struggle. The proportional tax ended up being liked the best, because they were fair to everybody, but in a way that those who were poor still had to give up a large sum of money. What we did in class really summed it up what it's going to be like in later years. We're all going to have to deal with taxes, and I don't think many of us are going to have 25 thousand to start out with. It reveals just how much the government is taking away our hard earned money to put into their own use or try to relieve the gigantic national debt. It's a rather mortifying thought, really, that the money you think will end up given all to you, is not at all really yours. A majority of it is going to be spent on taxes, bills, and other necessities of human life. So let's go enjoy our tax-free (sorta) life while we can.
I think that you make an excellent point Greta. The poor really do feel the pressure of taxes on their daily lives. If the poor are ever going to lead happy lives and escape from their poverty, they need a bigger break on taxes. A proportional tax answers this problem without being unfair to the rich. Also, while you argue that the government is taking everyone's money through taxes, a lot of that money is going toward public goods that people will use at some point or another.
ReplyDeleteI think proportional tax is good because it gives everyone a fair split, but not entirely reasonable for the poor people. For someone who only has $8,000 compared to someone who has $25,000 it is not equal for them to pay the same percentage. This is why as a poor person i support a progressive tax system.
ReplyDelete