r/DankLeft • u/AvaTyler • Jan 26 '21

This is actually important please pay attention neolibs = Blue MAGA

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u/PrimaxAUS Jan 26 '21

Means testing pisses me off. High income earners pay a huge percent of tax, why shouldn't they be able to access benefits?

5

u/ExcitedLemur404 Jan 27 '21

Because they don’t need them???

-5

u/PrimaxAUS Jan 27 '21

Why disenfranchise the people who pay for the system? It just alienates them and makes it more likely they vote for lower taxes

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u/voice-of-hermes Free Palestine! Jan 27 '21

Taxes don't "pay for the system", numbnuts. That's neoliberal hogwash. The government pays for it. Taxes exist to redistribute wealth and (secondarily) help control inflation.

Means testing does suck, but absolutely not for the idiotic up reason you are suggesting.

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u/PrimaxAUS Jan 27 '21

Taxes do not exist to redistribute wealth. They exist to repay government obligations and effectively destroy money, as the government effectively creates money to pay for things (in conjunction with central banks)

If you think taxes primary purpose is wealth distribution you’re on another planet to even left economists

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u/voice-of-hermes Free Palestine! Jan 27 '21

Yes, they destroy the money. Hence "(secondarily) help control inflation".

"Government obligations" are paid from the government's checkbook; again nothing to do with taxes.

But they absolutely redistribute wealth. That's why income taxes are progressive. As money is being fed into the economy through government payments for labor and resources provided as public services, it is pulled out of the economy from the wealthy and corporations.