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by JumpCrisscross 28 days ago
> No chance 3 ever passes

It’s honestly the hardest one on there.

> a wealth tax would require an amendment

Genuine question, why?

> It would also be a bad idea to abolish the EC because then candidates would only ever campaign in cities

This doesn’t mathematically work. Most Americans live in suburbia. (We define “urban” very, very broadly for statistical purposes.)

And this effect is more than compensated for by the existence of the Senate and even House.

> it would complicate the recount process

No messier than now. And you’d only be delayed in close elections, in which case carefully recounting everywhere is fine.
2 comments
nickff 28 days ago
>”Genuine question, why?”

A wealth tax would clearly be a ‘direct tax’, which must be apportioned among the states according to the constitution.

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JumpCrisscross 28 days ago
Eh, this is debated. (Moore.) It could be written as an excise tax, too, push come to shove.
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nickff 28 days ago
Capital gains are permissible because of the 16th amendment; the 16A does not permit the congress to tax assets. It seems like quite a stretch to apply Moore to cash holdings.
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throwaway85825 28 days ago
We already have taxes on assets. They're called property taxes.
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apparent 28 days ago
The state govts can do things that the federal govt is forbidden to do.
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nickff 28 days ago
Congress is not permitted to levy property taxes.
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throwaway85825 28 days ago
Tax money is fungible.
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jandrewrogers 28 days ago
The 16th amendment plainly restricts taxation to income. Same reason there isn't a Federal sales tax or property tax.
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ceejayoz 28 days ago
No, the 16th Amendment expands taxation to income; there was some dispute at the time over its legality. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollock_v._Farmers%27_Loan_%26....)

Article I establishes's Congress's fairly broad taxing powers.

> The Congress shall have Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/sales_tax

> The federal government has not enacted a national sales tax, although it has the constitutional authority to do so under Article I, Section 8.

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JumpCrisscross 28 days ago
There are federal capital-gains taxes. (I’d be fine with just treating wealth gains for anyone with more than $100mm as income, too.)
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