Would you be better off if there were no taxes, no public services?

Blowfish

poeticseraphim wrote: »

The vast majority of private businesses fail within the first year or two from when they begin...a tiny ..tiny minority succeed.

Indeed and this is one of the geniuses of the free market. Outside of government interference, businesses which are poorly structured and inefficient will ultimately fail. Governments which are poorly structured and inefficient on the other hand simply pass the cost of the inefficiencies on to their citizens.

poeticseraphim wrote: »

The us military and a british guy at cern invented the ineternet as we know it (it needed years of state investmet beyond what private enterprise could do) then private enterprise took it to the people...

Actually, while the US military did indeed assist in propogating the internet through DARPANET, it was actually invented by J.C.R. Licklider while working for BBN. He came up with the concept of the 'intergalactic computer network' with GUI's, banking, libraries, e-commerce and even cloud computing and started personally funding research into packet switching.

cbrlover

Merch wrote: »

Neither am I thats why I said I'd look into it but with no real intention

actually I checked the eirgrid site but couldn't find anything so gave up immediately, then hoped no one would ask me how did I get on.

I actually think the figure i quoted was probably for an application and connection for wind power but anyway, what he said, i mean you

So someone makes a statement on another thread and you call them a lire because they are not bothered to show where they get their information from but it is OK for you to make statements you clearly know nothing about and expect people to believe you.

Hypocrite.

Merch

Neither am I thats why I said I'd look into itbut with no real intention

actually I checked the eirgrid site but couldn't find anything so gave up immediately, then hoped no one would ask me how did I get on.

I actually think the figure i quoted was probably for an application and connection for wind power but anyway, what he said, i mean you

cbrlover wrote: »

So someone makes a statement on another thread and you call them a lire because they are not bothered to show where they get their information from but it is OK for you to make statements you clearly know nothing about and expect people to believe you.

Hypocrite.

It is after hours, my post has an element of jest in it, you are just being insulting, see the smiley face at the end of it, also someone else came back and said it was 1300 euro for a connection,
also will you stop following me around and personally insulting me because you dont like what I said somewhere else.
Italicised is me joking, bolded is what I actually did!
This is a highly unlikely hypothetical thread posted in afterhours.
so less of your personal insults as you dont like what I said elsewhere please.

In that thread in motors which you brought up here despite it having no relevance here, well dont think I called them a lire(sic) I said I didnt believe them, lire(sic) is such a strong word. (actually I definitely never said "the word?" lire)

I would like to counter your hypocrite, begone horrible bridge dweller, return to your other worldly account

Piste

I would be very, very uncomfortable living in a country where people's basic human rights- security, health and education become subject to market forces. Human rights are not iPhones.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

Piste

I'm not advocating that all goods and services should be state-owned and controlled; that would be Communism. I think that when the state provides security, infrastructure, health and education through taxation it provides more equality of opportunity than if your life course is dictated by the wealth of the family you're born into.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

cbrlover

Merch wrote: »

will you stop following me around and personally insulting

And what makes you think you are important enough for me to bother following you. Are you the only one that is allowed to look at other threads? As for “personally insulting” you, that is not what I set out to do, I was only pointing out the facts.

Merch

cbrlover wrote: »

And what makes you think you are important enough for me to bother following you. Are you the only one that is allowed to look at other threads? As for “personally insulting” you, that is not what I set out to do, I was only pointing out the facts.

I dont know, that you came back again?
will you kindly feck off to back under the bridge you came from, this has nothing to do with this thread.

damon671

Taxes are what makes our society revolve. I just think nothing will exist if there are no taxes. But it should be spent in the right way too.

Blowfish

damon671 wrote: »

Taxes are what makes our society revolve. I just think nothing will exist if there are no taxes. But it should be spent in the right way too.

If that's the case, how come society managed to exist for thousands of years prior to taxes being brought in?

uriah

Earthhorse wrote: »

Yes, definitely, private businesses never fail (or almost never) and when they do the market quickly adjusts to fill the gaps. By contrast, governments do a lousy job of everything, because there is no incentive for them to perform better (no competition means there is no incentive). The sooner we take areas that have traditionally been the preserve of the state and transfer them to the safe hands of experienced industry heads, the better.

Yes.
You mean we were just dreaming then - all our banks and insurance companies didn't really fail.
Could we also give back all those banks, Quinn Insurance, etc into "the safe hands of experienced industry heads ' .

ScumLord

Blowfish wrote: »

damon671 wrote: »

Taxes are what makes our society revolve. I just think nothing will exist if there are no taxes. But it should be spent in the right way too.

If that's the case, how come society managed to exist for thousands of years prior to taxes being brought in?

because everyone was involved in the day to day running of their conmunitys, essentially their time was taxed.

Blowfish

ScumLord wrote: »

Blowfish wrote: »

damon671 wrote: »

Taxes are what makes our society revolve. I just think nothing will exist if there are no taxes. But it should be spent in the right way too.

If that's the case, how come society managed to exist for thousands of years prior to taxes being brought in?

because everyone was involved in the day to day running of their conmunitys, essentially their time was taxed.

If that's the case, wouldn't that imply that the same would start happening again with no government and no taxes?

Belfast

TeddyTedson wrote: »

Roads would all be tolls. All public transport would be... er.. private I guess.
No medical benefits/child support/pensions.
But I guess you could always have insurance and take out your own pensions.
I would have more more money I feel but am much happier having these services in place even if they're not exactly run efficiently.

Private schools would sure make having kids expensive.

But just think of all the tax money you have paid over the years...

Yes we would be much better of without taxes.

if taxation were voluntary I wonder how many people would pay taxes.

eth0

Belfast wrote: »

Yes we would be much better of without taxes.

if taxation were voluntary I wonder how many people would pay taxes.

Apparently this 'europe' place is filled to the brim with people who are just dieing to pay property tax because they are well educated rational people who can see all the good it's doing for the community and themselves. If the pro tax shills are to be believed