>SNIP
>>
>>However, personally, I like the idea of no income tax and instead only tax products. You have a choice whether or not to purchase a product that is taxed. I could live tax free then if I abstained from everything taxed...or could I live at all?
>
>Well here in Canada we have the best of both worlds - a tax on goods and services AND income tax!
>The tax on goods and services, like almost anything government-driven, has been made super-complicated where it could have been so simple.
>
>Take the simple bagel...
>If you have a bagel and coffee for breakfast you pay the GST (tax) on both.
>Now if you buy 6 bagels to bring home, no GST is payable...
>but if those bagels are warm when you buy them (I suppose this is considered a special 'service') then you pay the GST on all 6 of them. Even though they will be cool by the time you get home.
>
>Peanuts are not taxed UNLESS they are salted (I guess that represents 'added-value').
>
>With coupons there are differences between manufacturer-issued coupons and store-issued coupons. With a manufacturer coupon the GST is payable on the 'pre-coupon amount' whereas with a store coupon it is payable on the net price after discount.
>
>Food is not taxed for GST unless it is bought at a restaurant/take-out or non-'essential' (like ice cream and such).
>
>All this amounts to confusion and temptation to cheat and serves to give the government several extra avenues to "get" you when they so choose.
>
>Rent, mortgage payments and financial transactions generally are not taxed.
>
>Overall a system not fit for man or beast!
>
>>
>SNIP

Jim;

LOL!

We have a similar system here in California, but of course we give the taxes different names. A tax is a tax – or something like that.

We have Federal, state and local taxes, which are used for different reasons. If you buy something in the next city or state (we have wall to wall cities and states) the tax rate is sure to be different.

The nice thing about being a politician is that you get to regulate taxes and give yourself a raise whenever you want. You provide no value to society that can be called productive or show worth. We know you are there when you screw things up, which is often, and when it is time for reelection you seem to come out of hiding, smiling as if nothing has happened. No new taxes will be imposed one week before election as you do not want to loose votes. Voters forget how they have been screwed and turn on to your charming smile and bulls***. One week after you are reelected you screw everyone with more new taxes and people are back to complaining. It is a great system. In fact it is the best system in the world.

I still think that government should take all of our paychecks and just give us what they think we need. I bet we would get nothing and our governments would still have deficit spending. I do have faith in the “system”!

Tom