> But you seem to dislike the idea of other people being better off, period. I don't see what you gain from the mail boy being poorer.
Great point.
This seems to be an unfortunate aspect of human nature. Many people seem to exhibit the same kind of attitudes, myself included. It takes mental effort to correctly realign one's own thinking.
Similar attitudes arise around the idea of a Basic Income. The gut reaction of most people is "why would I support the idea of a lazy bum getting free money?". It takes mental effort to shift one's own position on the matter.
It's interesting that (in America at least) a lot of people who are not wealthy fight to keep taxes low for the wealthy because they assume they might be wealthy someday. Yet fewer people fight for entitlements for lazy bums despite the fact that becoming a lazy bum is a much more realizable aspiration.
So let me make my assumption: the people are not fighting to keep taxes low for the wealthy because they assume they might be (extremely) wealthy someday. That possibility is so very small. They are fighting to keep taxes low for the wealthy because they assume that this helps the society to develop its economy and technology, become wealthier and collect a higher tax revenue, as opposed to higher tax percentages.
You know, the government cannot consume percentages, it consumes money.
Over 20 years ago, in the midst of a huge recession and collapse of tax base, my country dropped the marginal tax rate for high earners of capital gains from 65 % to 25 %. What followed was a substantial rise in tax revenue. It doesn't happen overnight, it doesn't happen in one year. Conjunctures impact it. But when you are at the falling slope of Laffer curve, it would be good to do something about it.
Great point.
This seems to be an unfortunate aspect of human nature. Many people seem to exhibit the same kind of attitudes, myself included. It takes mental effort to correctly realign one's own thinking.
Similar attitudes arise around the idea of a Basic Income. The gut reaction of most people is "why would I support the idea of a lazy bum getting free money?". It takes mental effort to shift one's own position on the matter.