Ja Mata, Tosa.
The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail; its roof may shake; the wind may blow through it; the storm may enter; the rain may enter; but the King of England cannot enter – all his force dares not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement! - William Pitt the Elder
Ja Mata, Tosa.
The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail; its roof may shake; the wind may blow through it; the storm may enter; the rain may enter; but the King of England cannot enter – all his force dares not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement! - William Pitt the Elder
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." *Jim Elliot*
sorry i dont quite get that, explain please![]()
What the cartoon depicts is the disconnect between economic policy makers *elected & appointed* and the common family. On the one hand you have the "deciders" with secure jobs, health care, pensions, homes, college educations for their kids, every perk imaginable...saying things like this idiot . On the other are the vast majority that are losing or lost their jobs, homes in foreclosure, the stability & security of their families futures in serious doubt.
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." *Jim Elliot*
I think it will help, better than doing nothing.
I would have prefered direct tax help for lower income groups, but I understand the VAT cut - they are trying to stimulate the economy and more than anythign send a message rather than anything else.
GARCIN: I "dreamt," you say. It was no dream. When I chose the hardest path, I made my choice deliberately. A man is what he wills himself to be.
INEZ: Prove it. Prove it was no dream. It's what one does, and nothing else, that shows the stuff one's made of.
GARCIN: I died too soon. I wasn't allowed time to - to do my deeds.
INEZ: One always dies too soon - or too late. And yet one's whole life is complete at that moment, with a line drawn neatly under it, ready for the summing up. You are - your life, and nothing else.
Jean Paul Sartre - No Exit 1944
The EU is not a trade union. It is an economic union.
As a capitalist bloc, the EU seeks to harmonise taxes. Because, in order to get a fully functioning market, it is essential to have as little government intervention as possible. By setting minimum and maximum VAT rates, governments can't aid the competitiveness of their businesses with taxes as instruments.
If it were up to me, the EU would set a single fixed rate for the entire union so the market can function undistorted by government interventions altogether.
A second issue is, that most businesses aren't national anymore, but multinational. Companies will play governments against each other for lower taxes. This is the world turned upside down. The idea is that businesses compete with one another, instead of seeking out government hand-outs and incentives. The EU, being a union of small to mid-sized states, protects these states and their consumers against large multinational corporations, and forces them to compete with each other.
As always, people tend to forget that the EU sets a maximum tax rate as well.Originally Posted by CR
I, for one, applaud the UK's socialist measure of lowering VAT. VAT is a regressive tax. I do wish the minumum and maximum VAT rates were set lower so that Britain could lead the EU on to an even more socialist tax regime.
Market capitalism, undistorted by governmental incentives, combined with progressive tax regimes make for splendid countries.
Last edited by Louis VI the Fat; 11-29-2008 at 00:12.
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