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by Flundstrom2 27 days ago
There used to be a wealth tax and land value tax in Sweden (aka world champion of taxation), but they were abolished simply because being taxed yearly on an fixed asset doesn't mean you have the liquidity to pay the taxes from your income. They had also caused the some of the wealthiest people in the UK to be Swedes, IKEA being Swiss and Dutch, and a lot of other movements of capital to other countries. All in all, wealth and value tax are a big loss of income for the government.
1 comments

Yeah, I hear you. And it is historically true.

But why can't we just say "2% over a billion, 1% over a million; 50% if you choose to move your assets out of the country". It does not seem that unreasonable to insist that you keep your monies in the country that lead to your wealth?

Generally, billionaires have already moved their assets to tax-havens. Because it is the sane thing to do. And the minute a bill for anti-movement is scheduled for a vote, the rest will be moved before the bill comes into effect.

Instead of taxing leavers, one should provide tax cuts for returners. Their investment locally means jobs will be created locally and taxes will subsequently be paid locally anyway. Win-win for everyone.