Obama lauds Marxism and higher tax rates on the rich. Lesser leftist luminaries, like Congresswoman Rosa DeLaura
of Connecticut, have suggested slapping a federal tax on high-sugar
soda drinks. Democrats railed against the presumed excessive
compensation of corporate executives and threatened to tax away all income
above a certain level. The left has no problem imposing taxes, even
highly regressive taxes, in order to implement what they believe is best
for society.
If the object of the federal tax system is not to maximize revenue while encouraging as much productive activity as possible, then conservatives throw away a valuable weapon when we allow the left to use the tax code to achieve its purposes while ignoring our own purposes. In fact, if conservatives simply threatened to tax politically unpopular leftist behavior, that might well be enough to get the left to accept the premise that federal tax law should not be used to punish behavior.
The Supreme Court has determined that abortion is a right, but so is drinking an extra-large soda or smoking a cigar. Abortion, though legal, is not popular, and polls have consistently shown that more Americans think that abortion is immoral than moral. Taxing patients for abortions might not be a popular tax, but what about taxing abortionists? Impose a transaction tax per abortion which is high enough so that few, if any, doctors could make money murdering unborn babies.
If the object of the federal tax system is not to maximize revenue while encouraging as much productive activity as possible, then conservatives throw away a valuable weapon when we allow the left to use the tax code to achieve its purposes while ignoring our own purposes. In fact, if conservatives simply threatened to tax politically unpopular leftist behavior, that might well be enough to get the left to accept the premise that federal tax law should not be used to punish behavior.
The Supreme Court has determined that abortion is a right, but so is drinking an extra-large soda or smoking a cigar. Abortion, though legal, is not popular, and polls have consistently shown that more Americans think that abortion is immoral than moral. Taxing patients for abortions might not be a popular tax, but what about taxing abortionists? Impose a transaction tax per abortion which is high enough so that few, if any, doctors could make money murdering unborn babies.
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