NationStates Jolt Archive

Seriously. I get a fancy new palace, a bunch of guys get jobs as security guards, a construction firm gets a fat ol' contract, archeologists get money to dig old post out of the ground (or at least, old clay out of the ground, make a pot, and claim it's ancient, I really can't tell) to decorate my 4th palace, miners get paid to dig up gold for the artists who are now paid to make statues for my latest palace. I mean, without these taxes, none of those people would be employed, right? So why do those western hippy types keep complaining about me?

Maybe bacause it all goes to your personal palace? At least I only have one palace!

If I may interject, it seems that all of these improvements are going toward your personal palace. While that may be fine and dandy, I am of the opinion that higher taxes should be put to good use, such as internal improvements. The good a high tax can do is boundless, yet given just as much, the damage the very same tax at just as high a rate may do is also boundless. You know the old saying location, location, location? It applies here; location of the money flow (Middle or upper class?), location of the tax (What is to be raised?) and finally location of the collected money (Where will it all go?).

When the taxes are only benefitting the greed of a selfish ruler than no - they aren't good.

I have nine palaces, but these were constructed by the wealth I've generated by oil production; and the towns in which the oil is produced gets 25% of the profits.

We have revenue of $59.4B MD ($128.8B USD) a year, with 42 oil refinery's across the country, each with 7,000 workers earning $50K MD/year ($108K USD). Approximately 16.8M barrels of oil is produced a day at each facility.

On another note; in the Kingdom we don't have tax of any kind except sales tax, which is around 3.65%, yet we have free healthcare, free education, top rated universities and schools, no crime, and very little poverty.

My whole point being; taxing your people so much for your own well being is selfish and an awful act. I'm sure you can take care of your people with the tax revenue while still living out your dreams of wealth. Using it all for your own greed is just downright morally wrong.

What other use are the hoi polloi but as fodder for revenue?

taxes, almost like population, in the game, seem to move in only one diriction unless you choose to be sufficiently cold bloody minded.

all economic theories are simply that, and most economic thought is more a tool of propiganda then any sort of honestly objective science. this is why i call it circular illogic. it may be perfectly logical and prediction generating within the sphere of its own context, but the air we breath and the rest of the foundations of living existence itself seem to be well beyond its pale.

some people like the pretend excitement of beating each other over the head, or at least pretending to. some persue gratification in trying to impress each other with howmuch they can accumulate. (though i seriously question how much real gratifictaion either actualy find in doing so).

there ARE other's of us though, who would simply prefer to breathe air we can enjoy breathing, to either of them. for us, who actualy FIND gratification, in creating and exploring, the bennifits of having to live in a world, largely the consiquence of those who insist upon trying to make everything have to begin and end with little green pieces of paper, are dubious at best.

'economic freedom' IS an oxymoron.
(as is the pretense of there being any kind of honor in vengence)

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