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by cloudfifty 1773 days ago
What this attitude says to me is that too many people have more solidarity with the ultra rich than their peers. Not to even mention those whose income is lower than their own. Hence, a tax on the ultra rich, is somehow very likely - in their mind - going to affect them as well. On the contrary however, a benefits cut, or perhaps a benefit grant, is just a waste of cash and will never benefit them somehow, even though things like paid vacation in Europe is universal.

I'm sorry but to me this attitude hasn't worked out all that well for the common man in the US (no vacation, parental leave, health care etc), but still you believe in the propaganda by default.

1 comments

Hah, I'm not from the US (I'm actually from one of those European nations you mention) and I see it from a different angle - the tax burden on higher income earners here is so enormous that people will find ways to work less to keep their earnings down, as the government just takes most of it. It has become a problem with doctors particularly - they will often opt to work fewer hours in order to earn less, as it simply isnt worth the extra time. This has made doctor access harder, which is a double disaster when you realise that the tax payer is the one who paid to train them in the first place. It is hard to argue that people paying tax in that bracket aren't doing enough already, and shouldn't be weary of any proposed increases in taxation.
> people will find ways to work less to keep their earnings down

Even if that is true and significant, I don't really find high income people skipping overtime to be major problem?

But I'm curious to read more about the claim that doctors skipping overtime due to high taxes, can you share a link?

Furthermore, the aim can't be to institutionalise overtime through tax cuts (I don't believe it would work either and those would in turn have other effects) but to increase the amount of doctors.

Sure: this is about a slightly different specific of taxation here, but its sums up the arguments the doctors have: https://www.bma.org.uk/bma-media-centre/bma-says-the-chancel...

Also to clarify - it isn't about overtime. Previously full time (40 hours a week)doctors have switched to part time (2-3 days a week), to avoid hitting the 60% rate.

That seems much more targeted and specific than the usual right wing talk about taxes causing high income people to work less (which implicitly values that above redistribution). It's also not a result (as in, X% of doctors have cut their working hours) but a plead (we may do this unless!).