Economic stimulus payments

[flexagon]

Wow, since when does the IRS just send checks to people?

http://www.irs.gov/irs/article/0,,id=177937,00.html

I don't get one, pout, sniff, but maybe you do.

Comments

[niralth.livejournal.com]

What do you want instead of a progressive tax? I think the gov't could get by on less tax money, and should spend less, but I also think that the progressive tax is the most fair way to tax income that there is.

[flexagon]

I'm not sure it's the government's job to tax fairly, really... but anyway, the progressive setup punishes success by providing incrementally less reward for more incremental income, which I don't like. Look at it in the context of nonlinear valuation of money: $1000 is already worth less psychologically to a rich person than a poor person, and then the government takes even more of it away? Bah.

In my view, government should set economic policies that encourage people to be responsible. So keeping in mind that I get worse at economics the wider the scope gets... I'd probably like to see a flat income tax (yes, I would consider that "fair") and a flat sales tax, which would encourage saving and discourage consumption. I'd consider exempting groceries and pharmaceuticals from that sales tax, but no more than that.

I'm sure that somehow the plan would go horribly awry and I'd get impeached. :)