Related– Spending’s ascending… (link fixed, sorry!) Via
47 Replies to “5 Simple Lessons”
I’m in love…
Why is she not in charge of Italy?
I’m in love…
Posted by: tirador
………………………………………..
And I was thinking how much better a naked presentation would have been. 😉
She is far too logical.Even worse, she is uncorrupted without a Villa or lifestyle to protect. She has no sense of entitlement and too much common sense. She is unfit for government.
I think the only point on which I would take issue with her is the matter of Value Added Tax.
Income taxes punish people who work harder, or work smarter, or who are luckier in their career/investment decisions, thereby acting as a disincentive to harder work, and a disincentive to investment.
Consumption taxes punish people according to how richly they choose to live. They may be a disincentive to wasteful spending, and instead an incentive to investment and saving.
But the kicker is: we should not have both a VAT (and the GST is a mini-VAT) and income taxes. It sould be an either/or situation.
It wouldn’t bother me to to give up paying income tax, and have a 20% VAT instead. I am used to living frugally. Perhaps the biggest problem with a VAT is that it would drive more of the economy underground as happened in Greece. But we have people working under the table here in Canada now, as it is.
People feel it is their moral duty to avoid/evade taxes if they feel that they are being taxed unfairly. The best tax system is one that is transparently fair to all comers. If that means the government has to be drastically cut back to meet that goal, so be it.
Why, indeed, is she not in charge of Italy?
For the same reason Greek citizens aren’t being allowed to vote in a referendum on their economic reform package. The Eurocrats won’t allow it. Greece’s government answers to Brussels now, rather than to Greek citizens.
Likewise, may go all of Europe, only citizen’s demands can stop that. Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy need to wake up.
The bureaucrats fear democratic control. A public debate would mean the Eurocrats who engineered this mess would have to answer to the public.
In an open public debate, an attractive, articulate, young economist like her may sway large numbers of citizens.
Along with the ascendency of the E.U., democracy is giving way to a new political governing elite, a Eurocracy.
Without democracy the nation-state cannot represent it’s citizens, which is it’s raison d’etre, and is thus in danger of withering away.
She’s awesome. 🙂 Nice speech too.
Re: Dick’s comment.
Name says it all, doesn’t it?
Larry @ 5:41, well said.
It does appear that it might be too late for Soviet European Union or SEU. Time will tell whether the people will finally revolt against Eurocrats.
I almost feel like going back to class.
Lickmuffin, agreed, that was uncalled for.
That lady for president!! Oh, wait a minute …
Look at the current US government’s strategy – blow the budget by truly enormous amounts, increase the number of government dependents – employees and food stampees, then insist on higher taxes to fight the deficit … or all those dependents get it!
I call it criminal negligence, if not down right criminal conspiracy.
What may not be obvious to people here in Canada is that the new Greek PM was appointed and annointed by the EUSSR, and the entire Italian government now is composed of EUSSR appointees.
Oh heck,
If she has a web site I think Kate might have competition.
Re VAT, she is right, and it is an iniquitous tax that adds billions to the cost of doing business in Europe, every company has to administer the tax for the government and the army of bureaucracy involved in policing it … if you think your yearly tax return is an odious but necessary evil, VAT is socialism nirvana.
The only thing nagging at me is whether or not this woman actually wrote and believes what she’s saying, or if she was simply paid to read a script on vid… AWW HELL why am I being so critical? No socialist would ever worry about something like that.
ah the VAT.
the leftist thingamajig maggie thatcher’s pencil neck bean counter cranked up from 8% to a whopping 15%
google it ‘vat margaret thatcher’
SDA needs to repost with audio only!
I’m sure what she had to say was intelligent and informative; unfortunately I still missed the lesson even the second time around and can’t comment properly on the content.
Alex, where are you to explain it to the rest of us? We know you had no trouble listening in earnest.
Ken (Kulak) >
Any bets that “dick” is aka “alex” again under another gay loving, woman hating pseudonym?
“Lesson #6 — Immigration will not solve a demographic problem unless those immigrants become well-assimilated and productive citizens.”
Didya ever wonder why Greeks favourite business is restaurants (cash business) and variety stores(cash business) are dominated by mediteranean/ME/asians? IOW restaurants and variety stores tend to be black markets hiding in plain sight.
Auditors cannot associate purchases with sales…due to unpredictable/undocumented spoiled food put into the garbage…..It has been claimed that 1/2 of restaurant receipts can be pocketed without raising suspician…
VATs, black markets, “black money” are all european concepts…remember many EU countries not only tax incomes and sales but also wealth…
Greece’ economy is healthy enough…..the government…not so much….
Milton Friedman was right indeed.
I cannot seem to get my head around the fact that soooooo many people in this world cannot grok what that woman was talking about. It used to be frustrating, but now it’s just plain scary.
Lock and load my pretties. The walking dead are many and time is short.
The 99rs are coming the 99rs are coming ….
Remember this …. when it all comes crashing down … and that is coming soon …. those despicable Occupiers and the hordes of other mindless trough sucking zombies will become marauders. They will come into your neighborhood to get your food and stuff … are you prepared for that?
There are very large numbers of dangerous idiots who live directly off the welfare system. If that stops, or perhaps if the people who do the doling out of the largess do not, or cannot make it into work because of things crashing down, it will be mayhem.
I suggest you get into community organizing in your neighborhood and make a plan with whatever neighbors you can trust. Together we stand.
All it will take if for the transport industry to shut down for a few days and the food will run out in about two or three days.
If I am wrong about this, I will look silly for awhile. If I am right you can call me Paul Revere.
That was excellent.
gordinkneehill at November 18, 2011 5:28 PM mentioned preferring a VAT over an income tax. That’s a fairly popular opinion among conservatives. It’s a reasonable argument.
Concerning the danger of the VAT expressed here, Michele Bachmann (sigh) made a similar point in rebutting Cain’s 9-9-9 plan. Paraphrasing, she said, “don’t let the government tap into the economy in that way”. I agree totally. It’s the automaticity (a word?) of the VAT that’s dangerous.
Murray Rothbard argued that the methodolgy of taxation is not that important; that the key issue is the GENERAL LEVEL of taxation in the economy.
But there can be no question that increased taxation always leads to bigger government and deficits. Oh, and so do fiat currencies, but that’s off topic.
@ Abe Froman
“I suggest you get into community organizing in your neighborhood “….
Most urban dwellers live in apartments and unless things have changed from my apartment days many years ago, I’ll bet they barely know their neighbors.
You are right on about the transport industry. Since most food suppliers found it cheaper to eliminate warehousing and computer systems run a “right on time” replenishing method. 4 days average to empty food shelves. This has also been the average for towns anticipating hurricanes and such.
It would definately become entertaining after about a week.
More and more I am coming around to the idea that the gold bugs may be right. Maybe fiat currencies always do collapse. If they are right we are about to see at least one prominent one go down. I also think that much of europe is going to go back to it’s totalitarian roots.
Abe Forman lead is your best defense if you get what I’m sayin. I wouldn’t trust any of my neighbors most of them are probably commie OWS sympathizers.
Really great post. This is why I visit SDA.
This girl deserves the Nobel Prize in Economics. Simple, basic and blunt but the perfect analysis of what is wrong with the economies of the west.
Well Rob, then nominate her! Obama was nominated without any justifiable qualifications and he won…
OK, she’s a babe. This is a deliberate strategy by the Center for Freedom and Prosperity. Of the 14 videos on their youtube channel, 13 are narrated by women, most of whom are pretty attractive. I figure the gals won’t mind looking at the one guy they’ve got, either. Her looks made you watch the entire video, right guys? Smart.
I agree with gordinkneehill on VAT instead of income tax. Income tax penalizes frugal hard working folks while the VAT penalizes the wasteful uberconsumers that have caused this problem. I’d be very happy with no income tax and variable rates of sales tax on everything but the absolute basics like un-cooked food.
“…but what can I do”, they all ask. Simple, don’t play their game. Get out of debt, then start saving. Simplify your life, and stop trying to ‘keep up with the Jonses’. Most importantly don’t be conned by the sophisticated marketing that tries to get you to buy stuff you don’t need with money you don’t have. Unrestrained advertising is at the root of our economic problems, don’t fall for it, you’re smarter than that. Buy local as much as possible; keep your neighbors employed. Build a strong self sufficient local community. The easiest way to defeat the system is to opt out.
The only problem I have with the VAT is that it creeps upward as the government needs money. There is no incentive for government to spend less. As monsier pointed out Britain went from 8 to 15% and look at their nanny state spending. No cutbacks on anything.
@ North of 60
The logic we “older” ones were raised with, lost on todays generation who want it all and want it now. They are inundated with messages of easy money and why wait when you can put it on your credit card and enjoy it while you are paying it off. Except they seldom pay it off. The new mantra is not “can I afford it” ? It’s ” can I afford the payment?”. They will only learn the hard way like most of us did.
The only problem I have with the VAT is that it creeps upward as the government needs money.
Don’t blame the VAT, blame the government that can’t control spending.
It would be way sexier if she wasn’t reading a script.
Try listening without looking. It is painful as hell.
ward
I noted that…when there was so little video input..I resorted to playing “free-cell”….and immediately noted the cadence problem…
Moreover, teleprompters are de rigour these days and the medium is the message. Cute “presenters sell evrything from cars to soap to cereal…The message is important and any means to hold the attention of it’s intended recipient is cricket…
All is fair…and it IS war…
Lickmuffin & Ken.
Dick here. I cannot see any comment by “Dick” and can assure you I just visited this article a minute or two ago. Please be assured I wasn’t the “Dick” that posted a comment.
This video is essentially a recap of Milton Friedman, who is the only economist who ever understood the dynamics of the welfare state and its economy wrecking effects. His book Capitalism and Freedom should be mandatory reading in every high school; he explains it all there.
Dick>
I did not think that this was your style of comment, but there are a few suspects.
In any case, sasquatch is right, even if the delivery is wooden, it is the message that is important.
Thanks Ken. I get quite upset when someone tries to represent me. Be assured that any further comments for the next 12 days will not be done by me.
Leaving later today for vacation and will be off-line the entire time.
Re-build social capital when we spend trillions on an education system designed to destroy it? That’s unpossible.
Impressive Economics 101 presentation. I have one comment about the VAT. When used properly, as a pure stand alone tax, it is extremely efficient, assuming governments don’t set the rate “too high.”
Instead governments turn entepreneurs into tax collectors and introduce a VAT after the income and other tax tolerance levels are pushed to negative marginal tax revenues. The addict finds another way to feed the habit of big government.
The young lady says is the US continues on its path it will end up like the EU, with no escape routes for Europeans. Except for Canada that is.
Thank you Stephen Harper.
peterj and Monsier
8 to 15%
You are way out of touch, try 20% thats the British coalition government for you.
VAT is a pernicious way of taxing, it does more than just take tax, it adds vastly to the cost of doing business for business as it has to be administered by all companies involved in any chain from supply to manufacture to end user which adds hugely to the paperwork most businesses of any size have to employ people just to do the VAT, then it requires additional layers of bureaucracy and separate departments within the tax departments to administer.
It is truly a socialists type of tax in that it eats and destroys at the very act of doing business, even a small self employed person with a medium turnover has to be registered and has to both pay and charge it.
Oh you think thats simple, huh, so lets take a local mechanic, he buys the oil and plugs etc for your service, when he buys those he has to pay VAT, but because his turnover is more than 70K he has to be registered, great he has to fill out paper work to reclaim that VAT, OK its pennies/or whatever currency you want, but he has to reclaim it, then at point of sale whenever that may be he has to charge it, plus add VAT for his labour, and yes he has to do that to because everything has to be charged including VAT and everything has to be itemised, every receipt/invoice has to include your registration number and a breakdown of the VAT charged, (because some things have different rates or no rate, say you sell cup of coffee while waiting to collect the car, is that to eat in or take out (because of course that attracts different rates of VAT) and when you reclaim this VAT if you are registered every item has to be identified with the corresponding registration number, and it all has to balance, to a penny otherwise the legions of inspectors will make your life hell, because it has to balance.
I have no problem with paying tax like most people (except socialists who somehow never do) I realise that we all need to contribute, but VAT is not in any way shape or form the way to do it, its beauty is that it sounds so very simple.
Just a little thought about it should bring that realisation crashing down.
Do not be suckered into adopting VAT, ask anyone from Europe that trys to run any type of business.
The young lady says is the US continues on its path it will end up like the EU, with no escape routes for Europeans. Except for Canada that is.
Posted by: Shamrock at November 19, 2011 1:04 PM
If she ever needs to get out of Italy, she’s welcome to stay at my place.
All for the greater good, of course…
She’s WRONG!
In Ontario, the wagon is gonna be solar powered – so no one has to pull it and everyone can hop on board!
@ DSV
Thanks for the update. Even worse than I thought. Politicians are desperate for more tax revenue, but then they are always desperate for more , rather than cut back on spending. The backlash in BC might be a sign people are fed up. Between the rise in groceries, utility fees, user fees, carbon tax,property tax ,gasoline gaugery,and so many more, perhaps the “in your face” HST was the last straw. I doubt if a VAT would be popular anytime soon. Except in California north , Ontario of course where they keep voting for the Village idiots because there don’t seem to be any sane people running for politics.
It’s good to see that young Italians get it, there is hope for their country yet.
I’m glad she put Bush’s and Obama’s numbers together, because they were/are both abysmal in regard to fiscal responsibility.
I’m in love…
Why is she not in charge of Italy?
I’m in love…
Posted by: tirador
………………………………………..
And I was thinking how much better a naked presentation would have been. 😉
She is far too logical.Even worse, she is uncorrupted without a Villa or lifestyle to protect. She has no sense of entitlement and too much common sense. She is unfit for government.
I think the only point on which I would take issue with her is the matter of Value Added Tax.
Income taxes punish people who work harder, or work smarter, or who are luckier in their career/investment decisions, thereby acting as a disincentive to harder work, and a disincentive to investment.
Consumption taxes punish people according to how richly they choose to live. They may be a disincentive to wasteful spending, and instead an incentive to investment and saving.
But the kicker is: we should not have both a VAT (and the GST is a mini-VAT) and income taxes. It sould be an either/or situation.
It wouldn’t bother me to to give up paying income tax, and have a 20% VAT instead. I am used to living frugally. Perhaps the biggest problem with a VAT is that it would drive more of the economy underground as happened in Greece. But we have people working under the table here in Canada now, as it is.
People feel it is their moral duty to avoid/evade taxes if they feel that they are being taxed unfairly. The best tax system is one that is transparently fair to all comers. If that means the government has to be drastically cut back to meet that goal, so be it.
Why, indeed, is she not in charge of Italy?
For the same reason Greek citizens aren’t being allowed to vote in a referendum on their economic reform package. The Eurocrats won’t allow it. Greece’s government answers to Brussels now, rather than to Greek citizens.
Likewise, may go all of Europe, only citizen’s demands can stop that. Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy need to wake up.
The bureaucrats fear democratic control. A public debate would mean the Eurocrats who engineered this mess would have to answer to the public.
In an open public debate, an attractive, articulate, young economist like her may sway large numbers of citizens.
Along with the ascendency of the E.U., democracy is giving way to a new political governing elite, a Eurocracy.
Without democracy the nation-state cannot represent it’s citizens, which is it’s raison d’etre, and is thus in danger of withering away.
She’s awesome. 🙂 Nice speech too.
Re: Dick’s comment.
Name says it all, doesn’t it?
Larry @ 5:41, well said.
It does appear that it might be too late for Soviet European Union or SEU. Time will tell whether the people will finally revolt against Eurocrats.
I almost feel like going back to class.
Lickmuffin, agreed, that was uncalled for.
That lady for president!! Oh, wait a minute …
Look at the current US government’s strategy – blow the budget by truly enormous amounts, increase the number of government dependents – employees and food stampees, then insist on higher taxes to fight the deficit … or all those dependents get it!
I call it criminal negligence, if not down right criminal conspiracy.
What may not be obvious to people here in Canada is that the new Greek PM was appointed and annointed by the EUSSR, and the entire Italian government now is composed of EUSSR appointees.
Oh heck,
If she has a web site I think Kate might have competition.
Re VAT, she is right, and it is an iniquitous tax that adds billions to the cost of doing business in Europe, every company has to administer the tax for the government and the army of bureaucracy involved in policing it … if you think your yearly tax return is an odious but necessary evil, VAT is socialism nirvana.
The only thing nagging at me is whether or not this woman actually wrote and believes what she’s saying, or if she was simply paid to read a script on vid… AWW HELL why am I being so critical? No socialist would ever worry about something like that.
ah the VAT.
the leftist thingamajig maggie thatcher’s pencil neck bean counter cranked up from 8% to a whopping 15%
google it ‘vat margaret thatcher’
SDA needs to repost with audio only!
I’m sure what she had to say was intelligent and informative; unfortunately I still missed the lesson even the second time around and can’t comment properly on the content.
Alex, where are you to explain it to the rest of us? We know you had no trouble listening in earnest.
Ken (Kulak) >
Any bets that “dick” is aka “alex” again under another gay loving, woman hating pseudonym?
“Lesson #6 — Immigration will not solve a demographic problem unless those immigrants become well-assimilated and productive citizens.”
Didya ever wonder why Greeks favourite business is restaurants (cash business) and variety stores(cash business) are dominated by mediteranean/ME/asians? IOW restaurants and variety stores tend to be black markets hiding in plain sight.
Auditors cannot associate purchases with sales…due to unpredictable/undocumented spoiled food put into the garbage…..It has been claimed that 1/2 of restaurant receipts can be pocketed without raising suspician…
VATs, black markets, “black money” are all european concepts…remember many EU countries not only tax incomes and sales but also wealth…
Greece’ economy is healthy enough…..the government…not so much….
Milton Friedman was right indeed.
I cannot seem to get my head around the fact that soooooo many people in this world cannot grok what that woman was talking about. It used to be frustrating, but now it’s just plain scary.
Lock and load my pretties. The walking dead are many and time is short.
The 99rs are coming the 99rs are coming ….
Remember this …. when it all comes crashing down … and that is coming soon …. those despicable Occupiers and the hordes of other mindless trough sucking zombies will become marauders. They will come into your neighborhood to get your food and stuff … are you prepared for that?
There are very large numbers of dangerous idiots who live directly off the welfare system. If that stops, or perhaps if the people who do the doling out of the largess do not, or cannot make it into work because of things crashing down, it will be mayhem.
I suggest you get into community organizing in your neighborhood and make a plan with whatever neighbors you can trust. Together we stand.
All it will take if for the transport industry to shut down for a few days and the food will run out in about two or three days.
If I am wrong about this, I will look silly for awhile. If I am right you can call me Paul Revere.
That was excellent.
gordinkneehill at November 18, 2011 5:28 PM mentioned preferring a VAT over an income tax. That’s a fairly popular opinion among conservatives. It’s a reasonable argument.
Concerning the danger of the VAT expressed here, Michele Bachmann (sigh) made a similar point in rebutting Cain’s 9-9-9 plan. Paraphrasing, she said, “don’t let the government tap into the economy in that way”. I agree totally. It’s the automaticity (a word?) of the VAT that’s dangerous.
Murray Rothbard argued that the methodolgy of taxation is not that important; that the key issue is the GENERAL LEVEL of taxation in the economy.
But there can be no question that increased taxation always leads to bigger government and deficits. Oh, and so do fiat currencies, but that’s off topic.
@ Abe Froman
“I suggest you get into community organizing in your neighborhood “….
Most urban dwellers live in apartments and unless things have changed from my apartment days many years ago, I’ll bet they barely know their neighbors.
You are right on about the transport industry. Since most food suppliers found it cheaper to eliminate warehousing and computer systems run a “right on time” replenishing method. 4 days average to empty food shelves. This has also been the average for towns anticipating hurricanes and such.
It would definately become entertaining after about a week.
More and more I am coming around to the idea that the gold bugs may be right. Maybe fiat currencies always do collapse. If they are right we are about to see at least one prominent one go down. I also think that much of europe is going to go back to it’s totalitarian roots.
Abe Forman lead is your best defense if you get what I’m sayin. I wouldn’t trust any of my neighbors most of them are probably commie OWS sympathizers.
Really great post. This is why I visit SDA.
This girl deserves the Nobel Prize in Economics. Simple, basic and blunt but the perfect analysis of what is wrong with the economies of the west.
Well Rob, then nominate her! Obama was nominated without any justifiable qualifications and he won…
OK, she’s a babe. This is a deliberate strategy by the Center for Freedom and Prosperity. Of the 14 videos on their youtube channel, 13 are narrated by women, most of whom are pretty attractive. I figure the gals won’t mind looking at the one guy they’ve got, either. Her looks made you watch the entire video, right guys? Smart.
I agree with gordinkneehill on VAT instead of income tax. Income tax penalizes frugal hard working folks while the VAT penalizes the wasteful uberconsumers that have caused this problem. I’d be very happy with no income tax and variable rates of sales tax on everything but the absolute basics like un-cooked food.
“…but what can I do”, they all ask. Simple, don’t play their game. Get out of debt, then start saving. Simplify your life, and stop trying to ‘keep up with the Jonses’. Most importantly don’t be conned by the sophisticated marketing that tries to get you to buy stuff you don’t need with money you don’t have. Unrestrained advertising is at the root of our economic problems, don’t fall for it, you’re smarter than that. Buy local as much as possible; keep your neighbors employed. Build a strong self sufficient local community. The easiest way to defeat the system is to opt out.
The only problem I have with the VAT is that it creeps upward as the government needs money. There is no incentive for government to spend less. As monsier pointed out Britain went from 8 to 15% and look at their nanny state spending. No cutbacks on anything.
@ North of 60
The logic we “older” ones were raised with, lost on todays generation who want it all and want it now. They are inundated with messages of easy money and why wait when you can put it on your credit card and enjoy it while you are paying it off. Except they seldom pay it off. The new mantra is not “can I afford it” ? It’s ” can I afford the payment?”. They will only learn the hard way like most of us did.
The only problem I have with the VAT is that it creeps upward as the government needs money.
Don’t blame the VAT, blame the government that can’t control spending.
It would be way sexier if she wasn’t reading a script.
Try listening without looking. It is painful as hell.
ward
I noted that…when there was so little video input..I resorted to playing “free-cell”….and immediately noted the cadence problem…
Moreover, teleprompters are de rigour these days and the medium is the message. Cute “presenters sell evrything from cars to soap to cereal…The message is important and any means to hold the attention of it’s intended recipient is cricket…
All is fair…and it IS war…
Lickmuffin & Ken.
Dick here. I cannot see any comment by “Dick” and can assure you I just visited this article a minute or two ago. Please be assured I wasn’t the “Dick” that posted a comment.
This video is essentially a recap of Milton Friedman, who is the only economist who ever understood the dynamics of the welfare state and its economy wrecking effects. His book Capitalism and Freedom should be mandatory reading in every high school; he explains it all there.
Dick>
I did not think that this was your style of comment, but there are a few suspects.
In any case, sasquatch is right, even if the delivery is wooden, it is the message that is important.
Thanks Ken. I get quite upset when someone tries to represent me. Be assured that any further comments for the next 12 days will not be done by me.
Leaving later today for vacation and will be off-line the entire time.
Re-build social capital when we spend trillions on an education system designed to destroy it? That’s unpossible.
Impressive Economics 101 presentation. I have one comment about the VAT. When used properly, as a pure stand alone tax, it is extremely efficient, assuming governments don’t set the rate “too high.”
Instead governments turn entepreneurs into tax collectors and introduce a VAT after the income and other tax tolerance levels are pushed to negative marginal tax revenues. The addict finds another way to feed the habit of big government.
The young lady says is the US continues on its path it will end up like the EU, with no escape routes for Europeans. Except for Canada that is.
Thank you Stephen Harper.
peterj and Monsier
8 to 15%
You are way out of touch, try 20% thats the British coalition government for you.
VAT is a pernicious way of taxing, it does more than just take tax, it adds vastly to the cost of doing business for business as it has to be administered by all companies involved in any chain from supply to manufacture to end user which adds hugely to the paperwork most businesses of any size have to employ people just to do the VAT, then it requires additional layers of bureaucracy and separate departments within the tax departments to administer.
It is truly a socialists type of tax in that it eats and destroys at the very act of doing business, even a small self employed person with a medium turnover has to be registered and has to both pay and charge it.
Oh you think thats simple, huh, so lets take a local mechanic, he buys the oil and plugs etc for your service, when he buys those he has to pay VAT, but because his turnover is more than 70K he has to be registered, great he has to fill out paper work to reclaim that VAT, OK its pennies/or whatever currency you want, but he has to reclaim it, then at point of sale whenever that may be he has to charge it, plus add VAT for his labour, and yes he has to do that to because everything has to be charged including VAT and everything has to be itemised, every receipt/invoice has to include your registration number and a breakdown of the VAT charged, (because some things have different rates or no rate, say you sell cup of coffee while waiting to collect the car, is that to eat in or take out (because of course that attracts different rates of VAT) and when you reclaim this VAT if you are registered every item has to be identified with the corresponding registration number, and it all has to balance, to a penny otherwise the legions of inspectors will make your life hell, because it has to balance.
I have no problem with paying tax like most people (except socialists who somehow never do) I realise that we all need to contribute, but VAT is not in any way shape or form the way to do it, its beauty is that it sounds so very simple.
Just a little thought about it should bring that realisation crashing down.
Do not be suckered into adopting VAT, ask anyone from Europe that trys to run any type of business.
The young lady says is the US continues on its path it will end up like the EU, with no escape routes for Europeans. Except for Canada that is.
Posted by: Shamrock at November 19, 2011 1:04 PM
If she ever needs to get out of Italy, she’s welcome to stay at my place.
All for the greater good, of course…
She’s WRONG!
In Ontario, the wagon is gonna be solar powered – so no one has to pull it and everyone can hop on board!
@ DSV
Thanks for the update. Even worse than I thought. Politicians are desperate for more tax revenue, but then they are always desperate for more , rather than cut back on spending. The backlash in BC might be a sign people are fed up. Between the rise in groceries, utility fees, user fees, carbon tax,property tax ,gasoline gaugery,and so many more, perhaps the “in your face” HST was the last straw. I doubt if a VAT would be popular anytime soon. Except in California north , Ontario of course where they keep voting for the Village idiots because there don’t seem to be any sane people running for politics.
It’s good to see that young Italians get it, there is hope for their country yet.
I’m glad she put Bush’s and Obama’s numbers together, because they were/are both abysmal in regard to fiscal responsibility.