Cut! Cut! Or free dental care for everyone

[Lilith7]

I think we should pay slightly higher taxes so that health & if possible education, are both freely accessible to all of us. Free dental care is a good start.

I think the idea that people would be penalised for growing their food is nonsense, if what is meant is the ordinary backyard garden. Some years ago, virtually every family had a vegetable garden & I really can't see the Greens or any party, attempting to prevent that because it would meet with such widespread résistance as to be unworkable.

[SueDonim]

I think we should pay slightly higher taxes so that health & if possible education, are both freely accessible to all of us. Free dental care is a good start.

I think the idea that people would be penalised for growing their food is nonsense, if what is meant is the ordinary backyard garden. Some years ago, virtually every family had a vegetable garden & I really can't see the Greens or any party, attempting to prevent that because it would meet with such widespread résistance as to be unworkable.

I meant the farmers, orchardists and market gardeners. I fully agree that those who can grow food at home should, but many can't for a lot of reasons so will always need to buy from the big growers. Those are the people who have often 10s of millions of capital in their land, but are hard working struggling business people like everyone else. Taxing them out of business would be a very bad thing to do.

But yes, restructuring tax so that there is a bit more take across all of the above-average income-earners to enable better service is sensible.

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Okay. But inheriting wealth is also a form of income, as is the profitable sale of property.

And most wealth - but not all - starts off with inheritance.

Some does, and those are often the ones who waste it away because they don't appreciate what they have been given. Most of the people I know who are comfortably off or better got there by hard work and living frugally.

[dken31]

Okay. But inheriting wealth is also a form of income, as is the profitable sale of property.

And most wealth - but not all - starts off with inheritance.

Do you care to back up that inheritance claim?  The vast majority of rich people I've dealt with over the years have got to where they are as a result of wise decisions, calculated risks, sacrifice and hard work.  Usually, they've come from pretty humble beginnings and that has given them the motivation to get to where they have.

[Lilith7]

I think we should pay slightly higher taxes so that health & if possible education, are both freely accessible to all of us. Free dental care is a good start.

I think the idea that people would be penalised for growing their food is nonsense, if what is meant is the ordinary backyard garden. Some years ago, virtually every family had a vegetable garden & I really can't see the Greens or any party, attempting to prevent that because it would meet with such widespread résistance as to be unworkable.

I meant the farmers, orchardists and market gardeners. I fully agree that those who can grow food at home should, but many can't for a lot of reasons so will always need to buy from the big growers. Those are the people who have often 10s of millions of capital in their land, but are hard working struggling business people like everyone else. Taxing them out of business would be a very bad thing to do.

But yes, restructuring tax so that there is a bit more take across all of the above-average income-earners to enable better service is sensible.

---

Okay. But inheriting wealth is also a form of income, as is the profitable sale of property.

And most wealth - but not all - starts off with inheritance.

Some does, and those are often the ones who waste it away because they don't appreciate what they have been given. Most of the people I know who are comfortably off or better got there by hard work and living frugally.

I doubt most people have any problem with those who've worked hard to get themselves where they are. However, those who began life within a wealthy family won't always comprehend how difficult it is for others - depending of course, on their family.

I've come to the conclusion that too much money is as bad for humans as is too little. Perhaps we need both an income floor & ceiling - the very idea of which will likely elicit screams of outrage from some.