[lotsofcows]

This idea that paying less tax is a good thing boggles the mind. Do you think tax payer money is just burnt or something?

Paying taxes provide services that maintain the sensible level of social movement and pay differential that has been demonstrated to advance entire societies.

Why do so many people want to be the richest person in a shit-hole?

[gutnor]

> This idea that paying less tax is a good thing boggles the mind. Do you think tax payer money is just burnt or something?

Let me rephrase that.

With everything I listed that you don't receive in the UK, this idea that paying less tax than the French is a good thing boggles the mind. Do you think tax payer money is just burnt or something?

edit: OK in case it requires more explanation: I don't mind paying more for more, but if I receive less then at least I want to pay less. And by "I", I don't mean personally receiving more or less. As a middle classer I know that I'm more likely to be a net positive contributor to the tax coffer and I'm ok with that.

[mindcrime]

Do you think tax payer money is just burnt or something?

No, some small percentage of it is used for "social good" and the rest is wasted or funneled to well connected / powerful political insiders and their cronies.

[jamespo]

You would not be earning if society didn't exist due to the taxes you pay

[DominikR]

Until the first world war there was no income tax in the US. Yet they still had a society and earned money.

Edit because I'm not allowed to reply anymore to below comment: I once lived in a Communist country. Never again. I'd rater die.

[akiselev]

I'm assuming you've never lived in a country without a vast social safety net, extensive national highway network, department of education, or a well funded TVA/EPA/FDA/FTC/FCC/FAA/NIH/NSF/etc?

Trust me, "society" was very different before the federal government had vast amounts of money to fund everything we take for granted today as "government waste."

[aianus]

In my experience the countries with lower tax rates have higher gross salaries and higher net immigration so this argument that low-tax regimes are shitholes seems to break down.