Originally posted by JuJuman:[...]
I for one am happy to be heavily taxed here in Austria - much more than I was in the UK. As a result, I and my fellow citizens can rely on several excellent public services, support for families, and so on. I actually would not accept a tax break - I believe in redistribution and progressive taxation.
[...] I think that in the UK, and especially in the US, folks on lower incomes would really disagree with you here.
But what I was trying to argue for is that the principle of supply and demand - call it capitalism if you like - is a global principle. It maybe clear cut when all your dealings and earnings are in one country, but it's different for so-called multinationals. And the same goes for people like Bono or these mega sports stars; all have earnings in multiple countries. And they invest in multiple countries.
Perhaps it would be more fair and just when each earning is taxed in the country the earning is generated, but it's easy to see that in most cases it is almost impossible to see what has been generated where. Take as a simple example U2's latest iTunes/Spotify release: the product is not only made by four Irishman but sold all over the world. And so thousands of examples could be made (Apple, Google, you name them!)
Of course it is fair to say that not everyone benefits from this global economy, and I honestly think we could and should do so much better - if only to keep our planet habitable for future generations - but what is the alternative? A global tax system can only be enforced by a global political system. Are we ready for that? ("Imagine all the people...")