Links (most recent first) that caught my eye, but did not warrant full-blown blog entries ….
- Finding Our Inner Republican | The American Prospect – A look back at the days when the GOP was institutionally, well, sane.
- Krugman: The rise of the Angry Rich – “And when the tax fight is over, one way or another, you can be sure that the people currently defending the incomes of the elite will go back to demanding cuts in Social Security and aid to the unemployed. America must make hard choices, they’ll say; we all have to be willing to make sacrifices. But when they say ‘we,’ they mean ‘you.'”
- WI Gubernatorial Candidate Scott Walker’s 68-Page Jobs Plan Would Be Four Pages Using A Normal Font – Wow. Haven’t seen that trick since high school …
- So Much for “Prompt Disclosure” – Why would the GOP ever dream of revealing who’s funding them? There’s no profit in it.
- Miller helps prove Murkowski’s point – As long as he has an “R” after his name, and the leadership thinks they can control him, they’ll back him no matter what whacky things he says, believes, or promises to do.
- UK Proposes All Paychecks Go to the State First – CNBC – Wow. This is the first time I’ve been glad we have an overly-complex system of taxes and deductions.
- House Dems: Many businesses that face Obama tax hike are too big to be labeled ‘small’ – The GOP is trying to protect Big Business under the guise of protecting “Small” Business? I’m shocked, shocked I tell you!
- Dad arrested for confronting bullies who tormented his 13-year daughter who has cerebral palsy – Ask for a jury, Mr Jones — none will ever convict you.
- Fed claims you need a permit to dig in the sand – Ah, our “public servants” …
- Bill Would Give Justice Department Power to Shutter Piracy Sites Worldwide | Threat Level | Wired.com – Look: Big Media wants to break the Internet. — at least those parts that they don’t like. Your tax dollars at work!
- Behold, the “point your iPhone at a plane and know where it’s headed” app! – “I’ll give it, oh, 30 minutes before a US lawmaker flips out over the app as a perceived terror threat.”
- “In the group of women I work with – spanning the decades from late twenties to early sixties – it is…” – Truth.
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UK Proposes All Paychecks Go to the State First – CNBC
As a former taxman I take interest in any stories about HMRC. I think this was one of those internal discussion documents that got out, rather than a serious proposal. Due to cuts (why I am an EX) they are having trouble with the work they have. I’m guessing that it was part of a discussion about how to collect overdue PAYE – too many employers use their workers wages to run the company, by withholding the deductions from the treasury – I had many many conversations where I explained that the money taken for tax is not the company’s money, it belongs to their employees (If you pay someone £200, but keep £20 back for their tax, it isn’t your money to use instead of proper business financing, it’s still their tax)
In the 25 years since I turned 16 I have never had to fill in a tax return. when I was a student I applied for a refund 3 or 4 times, because my employer didn’t do things right, but I just don’t have to worry aboout it. If you are over paid you simply write in and say – please check my tax for last year (though too many accountants keep this quiet, and charge 25% of the refund for doing the same thing).
The US tax system on the other hand appears not only overly complicated, but takes money from other countries. US law taxes ALL US citizens, even those residing abroad. The only way to avoid this is to give up citizenship. This means someone who has spent the last 5 years working in the UK has to pay US tax. International treaties called Double Taxation Agreements mean that you can’t be taxed twice on the same income if the two contries involved have such a treaty, so the American whose sole income is in the UK where he resides doesn’t pay UK tax – the Fed effectively gets Exchequer money (Because we are the US Government, and rules are for other people)
The US Tax Code is, in fact, a monster — though all proposals to simplify it to date gore far too many oxen to be successful. It’s a tension between the government using tax code for social policy (as well as taxes for various social purposes) and Americans (big and small) feeling it’s their inalienable right to pay as little in taxes as possible, and thus insisting on every deduction they can get.
I’m vaguely aware of expat tax issues (I had to work up an expat agreement for a UK gent posted to the Netherlands), but I’d not put together that the US insists on taxing its nationals living abroad. I suspect it’s partly the “We Are the US” kind of egocentrism, but probably also an attempt to make sure that rich Americans don’t simply camp out in other countries to avoid US taxes. (Or, given that US taxes are so much lower than other locations, it’s equally plausible that it’s a plot by rich Americans to avoid paying higher European taxes even when living there.)
Sorry if I’ve seemed a bit anti American recently. (OK I am, but I think that’s anti right wing US. Trouble is you all look the same from over here. Perhaps Caribou Barbie isn’t the greatest advertisment you have, despite what the TeaBaggers think!)
“Caribou Barbie” … I love it.
We’re trying to be less lunatic over here, really. Well, some of us are. Granted folks like Les and DOF and myself can only go so far in countering the more shrill (and media-connected) folks on the Right, but we’re doing our best.