5/3     Glad I don't live in Ney York.
        http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2136-2003May1.html
        So they add an extra tax on the "super wealthy" but the truly weathly
        probably have enough losses from the last few years they're not paying
        any taxes anyway, so this would only hit high salaried yet not rich
        people like me.  Can't wait until California decides to do the same
        thing in an attempt to turn the state into Alabama.
        \_ All business taxes are passed on to the consumer, regardless.
           Confiscatory taxes introduce inefficiencies by encouraging people
           to avoid them.
           \_ that's a crock of shit.  -tom
                \_ It is self evident - the cost of a product reflects the
                   the cost of production.
                   \_ Taxes on business *profits* only tax the profit.  If
                      a business raises its prices to try to keep the same
                      amount of profit after a tax hike, your vaunted
                      invisible hand will smack him down.  -tom
                        \_ This was not meant to be a controversial, politics
                           laden statement.  Don't work yourself into a frenzy,
                           just think about it - its not hard (where does the
                           money originate from?).
                           You assert businesses do not
                           incorporate tax estimates into investment proposals?
                   \_ I used to think this, but don't anymore.  Simply because
                      if the price is set at the point of maximum profit, then
                      raising the prices will *lower* the profit.  The same idea
                      applies to the idea that preventing shoplifting will keep
                      prices low.
           \_ Taxes on labor are even worse then by your reasoning, since
              they discourage people from working. What would you tax?
              \_ I would tax use of non-renewable rescources.  there are
                 ways of calculating how much that stuff is worth in dollar
                 amounts that includes all the death and destruction that
                 goes along with unwise resource use.  abolition
                 of income taxes makes sense, yes.  for a long(400pages)
                 detailed, and documented presentation of this arguement,
                 please read the book "Natural Capitalism."