Should we income tax retired people who don't have a lot of money?

theinfectedmaster

Argument Topic: Absolutely not.

If retired people don't have a lot of money, then income taxing them could hurt them because it could put them into poverty. Only poor people who have excessive amounts of money should have to pay income tax or even a lot of taxes at all.

Saint

Argument Topic: I know nothing about this subject, I'm playing devils advocate rn

Why shouldn't they? Poor people aren't more important than more well off people. So by this logic, we should also tax more to rich people. Why? Is it that the more richer we are, the more we deserve to be punished?

Saint

Argument Topic: I know nothing about this subject, I'm playing devils advocate rn

Why shouldn't they? Poor people aren't more important than more well off people. So by this logic, we should also tax more to rich people. Why? Is it that the more richer we are, the more we deserve to be punished?

Saint

Argument Topic: I know nothing about this subject, I'm playing devils advocate rn

Why shouldn't they? Poor people aren't more important than more well off people. So by this logic, we should also tax more to rich people. Why? Is it that the more richer we are, the more we deserve to be punished?

MayCaesar

Honestly, the idea of progressive income tax is one of the most bizarre economical ideas I have ever come across, and I was genuinely surprised to learn in my early teens (when I became interested in economics) that not only such a taxation system exists in some countries, but it is almost universally adopted around the world.

Imagine if a similar idea was adopted in any other field, say, in sports. In marathon running, those who can run sub-3 hour marathons have to run with extra weights, and the weights increase as their time improves. Anyone ever consider this idea? I wonder why not...

Flat tax already is bad enough. It would make more sense to have constant tax: everyone contributes the exact flat amount to the budget. Since everyone has an equal vote, why should the contributions differ? Have you ever heard of people paying different prices for 1 lb on apples, based on their ability to pay? This makes very little logical sense.