Something at the ASI.
…meaning that an entire two of the living population of the country
actually believe that the Chancellor is more prudent than they are.
Timmy Elsewhere
3 responses
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I don’t understand the point you are making. It seems to be that a politician will only win an election if people think:
“any politician will be more or less prudent with other people’s money than the individual would be themselves”
but as that’s clearly nonsense (it would imply a government can survive on donations alone), it can’t be. Can you explain some more?
Tim adds: No, it doesn’t imply that a Govt would have to survive on donations alone. I’m not quite an anarcho-capitalist. The State has to exist, there must be taxation and there must be complusion in the collection of it (to avoid free rider problems). My point rather is that we are bombarded with messages stating that people would be willing to pay more tax: fact is, they’re not, only two in the country are. There’s many happy for others to pay more tax, but look at what people do, not what they say. -
“My point rather is that we are bombarded extremistwith messages stating that people would be willing to pay more tax: fact is, they’re not”
No, they’re willing to pay more tax if everyone else does too, because unlike you they understand that this is a problem of collective action. If the masses were as virulently opposed to government spending as you seem to think, then I’m surprised they haven’t expressed that in an election at some stage in the last 60 years. You and the Adam Smith Institute are, not for the first time, wildly out of touch with people’s actual views on this issue. -
No Jim, it’s you that’s out of touch…
Lots of people are very willing for other people to pay more tax… “The Rich” are always a favourite target as the vast majority do not consider themselves thus.
The only reason that “the masses” haven’t expressed their disinclination to pay more tax at an election is that for many years now there has been negligible difference between the taxation policies of the major parties. Their opposition has more been expressed in their feelings of disenfranchisement leading to a lack of enthusiasm to vote at all.
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