22-05-2005 02:40									#1
	Charities vs. Taxes Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

So I know many of you opposes the idea of raising the taxes in order to give out to more charities and all that, and wish to continue having a free will to help. In here, you don't have that freedom.

However, personally, the little socialist that I have left in me says we need to help the more unfortunate ones with tax money. This is, because in here, the VAST majority is not able to save money and everything goes as it comes, because of the high taxes and relatively low salaries (if comparing between rich countries). So that gives you a low buying power, making it tough for services to rise since people don't have that buying power. Well I mean they do, but it goes to necessary things or what we think is necessary, so people just don't go around shopping.

Like for me, I never understood the concept of shopping. How could you go to places and buy things, even if they are small? How can you have 100 dollars a month extra to just go and shop? Then of course, I learned that some people actually do have money to spend, while others don't.

So, it's difficult for small businesses to rise since you have to have REALLY killer idea so people will actually spend money on it. If it's something necessary, it's next to impossible to break into the business, since it's been there always and the bastards are always using cartels and other illegal methods of blocking the competitors out. Welcome to Finland And lots of other countries I'd suppose.

So, fact being, the buying power is relatively low even when thinking about GDP, since taxes are high. People rather hide the little extra they have left and save it on rainy day. Useless to say this doesn't exactly help creating any new money to pass around, or even let the same money circle around.

So what I'm saying is, I still think if the taxes are reasonably well justified, I think it's OK. Even this high bastard rate, I think it's OK if we get what we need and think we get. If everything works, then OK. But since it doesn't... well that's another thread and debate.

Anyway I'd like to bring up charities, and most of all where the tax money goes when talking about help, domestic one.

I think we as citizens should be able to decide where we want our tax money to go as far as charities etc goes. I don't like the idea of high taxes and then the lump is spreaded around so that it's definitely not enough for anyone to begin with, and that the money goes to places I rather not support.

"YOu bastard you just want homeless people to die so you can eat your burgers in peace!". No! That's exactly the people I'd like my tax money to go to. Homeless people, unfortunate people, people who suddenly got big injuries in freak accidents, victims of crimes, people who are seriously ill, single mothers who have kids, young people who are trying to break out from the bad influences through sports etc. These are the places I want the percentage of the 'help' money to go to.

Ideally no one would have to give tax money to any of these, and they would be taken care of by private support. But since I just explained that if that was the case IN HERE, no money would come there at all. Some people would donate, but most.. not really. Because there's just not enough buying power to begin with and people rather save than buy, if they can.

So I feel in here we must keep the tax money support for certain places or they're in big trouble. HOWEVER, I do believe every tax payer should be able to say where they want that piece of money to go to. I think it's only fair.

This way maybe lots of homeless people would get a better chance, maybe we could fix up and help more with medical bills for the poor (they're not free exactly, many can't afford) etc. Stuff that matters. Help people with illnesses. This would mean that most likely some of the unpopular parts would get less funds, like the group of alcoholics who don't even try to get better but buy booze with all the support money and then go line up with the food charity because they just spent all the money on booze and it doesn't matter because they have 0 obligations on getting that support. LIke trying to get better. I know most fail many times, but at least trying should be a requirement. If you say **** it, I won't try, I'll drink myself to death in 20 years, and not work, then fine. But don't expect me wanting the tax money to support it.

Of course everyone has their own priorities, but they should be followed. It could be done with some kind of voting, where everyone gets mail and you mark down the places you wish your tax money would go, then calculate the percentages after all forms have been counted for, and that's how the lump of money will be devided.

Why not?

	22-05-2005 03:03									#2
	Put an end to popups!

In Belgium any money given to charity is tax deductible.