Taxes or Inflation? \ stacker news ~econ

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Taxes or Inflation?

741 sats \ 35 comments \ @bzzzt 29 Apr econ

hypothetical reality...you have to choose one:

inflation but no taxes
taxes but no inflation

which one and why?

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81 sats \ 0 replies \ @kepford 29 Apr

Taxes but no inflation. This makes it more clear what is happening. Inflation is a much more effective method of theft.

90 sats \ 1 reply \ @yonson 29 Apr

Taxes are explicit, inflation is implicit. I would rather know how much is being stolen up front.

30 sats \ 0 replies \ @030a29f333 29 Apr

This. Inflation is called the hidden tax for a reason. At least of taxes are high and unreasonable people can directly point it out and everyone knows who's to blame. Meanwhile with inflation, governments are (somewhat successfully) gas lighting people into believing inflation is caused by anything but their money printing.

57 sats \ 3 replies \ @jakoyoh629 29 Apr

2% annual inflation and no taxes. Because we already pay taxes and have much higher inflation. I think not all inflation is bad.

0 sats \ 2 replies \ @ChrisS 29 Apr

If 2 percent inflation is good then why not 5 percent inflation or 10 percent?

0 sats \ 1 reply \ @jakoyoh629 29 Apr

This one's easy! 5 and 10 is obviously more than 2.

42 sats \ 0 replies \ @ChrisS 29 Apr

So by that logic 0 is better than 2, right?

41 sats \ 1 reply \ @riberet19 29 Apr

I think I prefer inflation, but you should have said how much taxes and how much inflation, if they take away 50% of my earnings as it usually happens in my country, with inflation of around 7% it's easy to say which one you prefer.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @bzzzt OP 29 Apr

id rather leave it vague to consider in general what people argue for and against 🙂

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @nullama 30 Apr

taxes but no inflation.

You provide value, you store your money, you buy goods and services in the future with that stored value.

You pay taxes because you are using the public services, streets, public lights, electricity, etc. Otherwise it would be very hard to provide your services.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @rtr 30 Apr

Taxes but no inflation with the caveat that everyone should have the freedom to arm themselves.

That way the government actually has an incentive to listen to its people.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @02bcd3eeb0 29 Apr

Inflation obviously. If there are no cap gains taxes, there is no barrier to using a better (harder) money.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @TheBTCManual 29 Apr

I'd go with inflation, because I would just use the medium of exchange to get a harder money and move on with my life. Direct taxes have the government all up in your arse all the time F that let them burn their treasury to the ground and let the prudent win

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @tomlaies 29 Apr

Everyone is free to choose in which asset class to hold their wealth. But you're not free in choosing to get taxed. So I would choose inflation because I can just hold my money outside of the inflating fiat currency.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Cje95 29 Apr

Taxes. That is much more controlled than inflation. Taxes also do allow us to get some stuff that is beneficial like roads, police, fire department, etc. Inflation does nothing for me at all but just take away my ability to purchase.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @justin_shocknet 29 Apr

taxes on production is bad for production

inflation forces savings into production which produces the wrong things

taxes on consumption slows velocity (good for inflation) but is bad for government revenues

So, I'd go with the unlisted option, lock down the economy with a fake pandemic to save the currency for an election cycle through inflating away some debt without increasing velocity

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @nerd2ninja 29 Apr

If you choose inflation, but no taxes, your country bans Bitcoin and ensures you can only use inflatable money.

If you choose taxes, but no inflation, every aspect of your life is documented and reported as to ensure you pay the taxes you're supposed to pay and also there's a shit ton of loopholes that let politicians and the people who lobby them pay 0 taxes.

I would pick Georgist taxes over inflation, but if added limitations into a pick is not allowed, I pick Bitcoin and a different country lol.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @SpaceHodler 29 Apr

Inflation any day, because I can escape it more easily.

0 sats \ 15 replies \ @Undisciplined 29 Apr

Inflation w/out taxation

Taxes are literally theft, whereas inflation is only analogous to theft.

53 sats \ 1 reply \ @kepford 29 Apr

Do legal tender laws change this in your view?

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined 29 Apr

They would if we were required to save in the legal tender.

53 sats \ 1 reply \ @SpaceHodler 29 Apr

Inflation would be theft if you were forced to store your wealth in any of the $hitcoins being inflated.

If I manufacture glass beads, that doesn't make me a thief just because some idiots, of all things, use them as money.