Most people don’t hate taxes

[Powerjumboo]

Most people are ignorant. They are just sheep heading directly into the slaughterhouse without complaining. They can't hate or go against something they don't have total awareness about. People don't calculate how much money they are wasting on taxes imposed by governments, as they live on automatic mode. As long as there is "bread and circuses", it's everything ok.

Politicians know this since ancient roman empire, and that is how they have been ruling society without much instability and rage against their abuses and manipulations.

We do not have the courage to protest. We are truly ignorant as people. Currently, taxes are increasing so much that it is becoming very difficult for us to accept it. Moreover, the current job situation and salary increases, along with everything else, are causing a lot of suffering to people. We do not accept taxes, but we endure a lot of suffering with our eyes closed. We may not have the courage to protest, but we are going the way the government is running. If we common people could protest and if every person came out on the streets, then the government would monitor this matter, but we cannot do that, due to which the government is doing everything as it wants.

[Solodoski]

Most people can tolerate taxes because they understand governments need revenue which is understandable.

That is if the tax collected is used for the people and not for family members. Corruption is one factor that discourage certain people from paying tax especially if the government manipulates the system.

It will be understandable if government is also providing high level paying jobs that will help to sustain individuals after paying tax and to stop double taxing.

Yes government need revenue but not to the detriment of the people because the primary aim of government is to protect life and property but if that responsibility is not taken care of then the people will no longer keep paying tax, they will evade tax where government fails in the responsibility of security, social amenities etc.

Government needs revenue to enrich themselves, not to empower the people. If revenues were taken from the people to make the country a better place, most people won't be complaining when the taxes are collected.

Most people can tolerate taxes because the taxes don't affect their income. With the existence of ways to maneuver taxes, some big businesses don't pay tax. People have learnt how to avoid taxes.

[Mpamaegbu]

What's your opinion

If I judge with what's happening in my country, OP is right. I believe this also cuts across countries with high rate of corruption and lack of accountability in government institutions. People won't mind paying taxes once they're sure their taxes won't be embezzled by those in government.

At one time in the country, there was a certain state where the governor showed apt leadership and accountability with laudable projects, most of those who were self employed or in private employment, on their own volition, went to the state's tax office to get themselves evaluated on what to pay as monthly tax. That can only be possible in a situation where citizens are sure their money will be put to good use despite the pang of inflation biting hard on them. Nobody likes to sacrifice for nothing.

[Egii Nna]

Government needs revenue to enrich themselves, not to empower the people. If revenues were taken from the people to make the country a better place, most people won't be complaining when the taxes are collected.

Most people can tolerate taxes because the taxes don't affect their income. With the existence of ways to maneuver taxes, some big businesses don't pay tax. People have learnt how to avoid taxes.

Government are not enriching themselves with taxes as you mentioned, because money been collected for taxes are used for the budget of the country, which in one way or the other the people living in the country will benefit from it.

I know in other corrupt countries the reverse is the case. But still the poor are the people that hardly escape taxes and in such corrupt countries the poor are the least to benefit from the taxes they paid from their own pockets. From an understanding point of view in this corrupt countries the politicians and the business men are the ones controlling the system, which they will do the best they could to enrich themselves and leave the poor to suffer. But if the system is good, then everyone will benefit from taxes.

[Zanab247]

No government can function without taxation,  it's a contribution of people to the government for a common benefit,  if tax is well utilized the people will pay more to benefit more, but in a situation where the tax payers enjoy the tax and the government is not accountable,  tha tax player won't he happy to pay more tax, they will find a way to avoid tax.

I guess lack of understanding is what is making some people to hate taxe, but if they understand the function of taxe in a country very well, it will make them to embrace taxes, because that is what is making government to establish what will make the citizens happy. I agree with you that if people know what government will use it for it will make people not to ignore taxes in the country.

Bad government is what is making some people not to pay taxes, because they don't see the reason to be paying taxes to government officials when there is no improvement in education sector, no development, no improvement in different sectors of the country.

[abhiseshakana]

What's your opinion

If I judge with what's happening in my country, OP is right. I believe this also cuts across countries with high rate of corruption and lack of accountability in government institutions. People won't mind paying taxes once they're sure their taxes won't be embezzled by those in government.

At one time in the country, there was a certain state where the governor showed apt leadership and accountability with laudable projects, most of those who were self employed or in private employment, on their own volition, went to the state's tax office to get themselves evaluated on what to pay as monthly tax. That can only be possible in a situation where citizens are sure their money will be put to good use despite the pang of inflation biting hard on them. Nobody likes to sacrifice for nothing.

In my opinion Paying taxes is not only a form of responsibility but also should be form of our trust to government. Trust is not something that can be demanded but must be proven and government can get it by provide transparency and accountability so it will build strong public trus which will creates tax compliant individuals. So government must ensure every penny of public money can be traced, monitored and accounted/ When people know that the institution work for public interest every body will motivated to voluntary pay taxes. People need government to disclosed data of how much tax revenue and its allocation and how its spend, beside that people need simple report published openly and easy to understand even for people who doesn't understand accounting.

[Baki202]

In my opinion Paying taxes is not only a form of responsibility but also should be form of our trust to government. Trust is not something that can be demanded but must be proven and government can get it by provide transparency and accountability so it will build strong public trus which will creates tax compliant individuals. So government must ensure every penny of public money can be traced, monitored and accounted/ When people know that the institution work for public interest every body will motivated to voluntary pay taxes. People need government to disclosed data of how much tax revenue and its allocation and how its spend, beside that people need simple report published openly and easy to understand even for people who doesn't understand accounting.

Taxes are already a duty that we must fulfill, and there is no way that we will live in a nation without paying them since the government relies on them to fund its operations. As a result, those who fail to pay their taxes are typically prosecuted because, in some countries, it is a crime that is punishable by law. However, the problem lies in the government's lack of transparency regarding how it handles the money that has been paid.

And when there is transparency, people will be even more motivated to do better because there is no way that people will be motivated when they are not even benefiting from the tax. In my opinion, things will improve once people begin to reap the benefits of paying taxes. These things are very logical, and the more we comprehend them, the more irritating it becomes—after all, what is the government doing with all this money?

Because a lot of questions have been raised but no genuine answers given because the system have been compromised and everyone wants to steal.

[Ab de villiers]

Government needs revenue to enrich themselves, not to empower the people. If revenues were taken from the people to make the country a better place, most people won't be complaining when the taxes are collected.

Most people can tolerate taxes because the taxes don't affect their income. With the existence of ways to maneuver taxes, some big businesses don't pay tax. People have learnt how to avoid taxes.

Taxes are the system that are developed for the well being of the public. But system is working against it, in my country mostly the institution works under the supervision of government are functioning poorly. People are complaining about the lack of facilities in hospitals, schools, public offices, all are equipped with old tools. That are not enough to fulfill the demands or needs of the public. As  a result people are forced to move towards private sector that are costly. Means after paying taxes, they have to pay higher fees in private sector for the service. As a result, people have no trust on government about the taxes. Frustration, protest all are the results of these unfair systems

[Abdulzuruku01]

We do not have the courage to protest. We are truly ignorant as people. Currently, taxes are increasing so much that it is becoming very difficult for us to accept it. Moreover, the current job situation and salary increases, along with everything else, are causing a lot of suffering to people. We do not accept taxes, but we endure a lot of suffering with our eyes closed. We may not have the courage to protest, but we are going the way the government is running. If we common people could protest and if every person came out on the streets, then the government would monitor this matter, but we cannot do that, due to which the government is doing everything as it wants.

I don't think protests will change the tax situation because we don't have leaders rather rulers. Or leaders don't pay attention to the needs of people, they only give commands on what will favor them. I could remember back then in my country, when youths protest over SARS brutality and government decided to use army to chased them to show that their needs will not be fulfil. I'm sure same will happen if we should protest over taxes. Many are unemployed, yet the government imposes taxes on citizens while refusing to increase the salaries for those that are employed and commodities keep on rises as an influence of taxes everywhere.

[trendcoin]

According to OP, I’m not in the same category as most people. I don’t think I’ll ever be in the same category as most people for the rest of my life. One of the main reasons I lean to the right on economic issues is the topic of taxes...

The government is a necessary evil. Taxes are the way to keep the government afloat. I’m not completely against taxes, but I think tax rates are much too high in today’s world...

In my view, the ideal tax rate should be a maximum of 5% of income. Taxes above this rate cause me anxiety... :)

[Solokan]

Indeed, taxes are needed by the government with the aim of improving the welfare of the people and helping the poor and indeed, people will not mind paying taxes as long as the tax funds received from the community are distributed well to the community again, but what makes people frustrated is that they often pay taxes but the welfare is not obtained by the community. So the conclusion is that most people do not hate taxes as long as their lives are prosperous. So, the point is that we must have a lot of income but little expenses and of course we must have a business that makes big profits and invest in good assets in order to have a big income.

[Jubilee58]

Most people can tolerate taxes because they understand governments need revenue which is understandable.

What really frustrates them is realizing that no matter how hard they work, their salary keeps losing the race against real life. You get a small raise and for one moment it feels like progress… then rent increases, food gets more expensive, transport goes up, and suddenly that raise means almost nothing again.

That’s why many people today are earning more money than they did years ago, yet somehow still feel very financially weaker.

If you come to think of it, I believe the biggest part of it is psychologcal. People can tolerate paying into a system when they believe hard work will eventually create stability but once salaries stop translating into actual progress, frustration quietly starts building.

That’s also why more people are moving beyond traditonal saving and looking for assets they believe can protect value long term because many no longer trust income alone to keep up.

What's your opinion

Different countries of the world with different sources of revenue, and I think those countries with little source of revenue tend to place heavy tax on citizens, making them to struggle with their income, and in such place if inflation is also involved, the economic situation becomes very unbearable, and this is the reason why tax rate varies across different countries.
Honestly, government collecting tax from citizens is not entirely wrong entirely because is also another way of generating revenue, but the tax rate should not be cumbersome on the citizens to pay, and leaders who impose this tax should be able to make the economy very stable so that citizens who pay this tax will not confront inflation as well.

[Junii]

What's your opinion

Actually u are right but i would say the problem is not just about inflation and psychology like if the salary of a person increases 10% per year while the cost of housing and  food also transport and other necessary things increases by 15% then there standard of living is still decreasing per year. No doubt investments works against inflation that is the fact and reality but not every asset gives you profit and fights inflation. What i believe is if u want a proper solution then it is a mix of many other things like increasing income plus most important controlling unnecessary spending some people ignore this but this is a root and investing with proper research in good assets . Because the biggest problem is not about more taxes but majority of peoples didn't even realizing that their real purchasing power is also growing with their efforts.

[terrific]

Actually u are right but i would say the problem is not just about inflation and psychology like if the salary of a person increases 10% per year while the cost of housing and  food also transport and other necessary things increases by 15% then there standard of living is still decreasing per year. No doubt investments works against inflation that is the fact and reality but not every asset gives you profit and fights inflation. What i believe is if u want a proper solution then it is a mix of many other things like increasing income plus most important controlling unnecessary spending some people ignore this but this is a root and investing with proper research in good assets . Because the biggest problem is not about more taxes but majority of peoples didn't even realizing that their real purchasing power is also growing with their efforts.

The inflation and the cost of everything isn't tallying with the increase of salary.
Taxes, obligations and other expenditures as well. And that's why many of us complaining that what we're earning is only enough to survive.
We need 2-3 or even more jobs if possible. But that's not the kind of life that we want to live, we're only living to work and barely have something to survive.

[Churchillvv]

People enjoy paying tax! Yeah op you’re right in the wrong world!! Just maybe you are not part of this world where I see people complaining about tax and how their taxes are not even used for the right thing by the government instead they use it to facilitate wars, create bio-weapons targeted on the same tax payers and you op, at your end concludes that people love to pay tax, maybe you live to but personally it’s a whole to to play. You make 5 thousand and pay 1100 as tax, wth. Maybe I was working for them.

[Solodoski]

I really don't think that people don't like paying tax, because tax is very important for a government to manage its country,  but it becomes painful when you don't get the benefit your tax. I really don't know it is in the western world, but I am focusing more on African nations.  Most African government does not even produce the bare minimum for its citizens,  so it will be really frustrating to pay tax to such systems.  Imagine when your government can give you good educational system,  health-care,  good water, employment etc and they still expect you to pay tax. In my opinion I don't think anyone will be happy to pay tax in such system.  I think when the citizens cam see what their tax Is being used for, they will be very happy to pay tax, but when they don't, they will not be willing to pay their taxes.

[Abiky]

According to OP, I’m not in the same category as most people. I don’t think I’ll ever be in the same category as most people for the rest of my life. One of the main reasons I lean to the right on economic issues is the topic of taxes...

The government is a necessary evil. Taxes are the way to keep the government afloat. I’m not completely against taxes, but I think tax rates are much too high in today’s world...

In my view, the ideal tax rate should be a maximum of 5% of income. Taxes above this rate cause me anxiety...

The main issue stems from the fact that wages don't increase at the same rate as tax rates or even inflation for that matter. There's a huge discrepancy between taxes and your average salary. So, when you consider a rapidly-increasing cost of living, coupled with high taxes, you end up with almost nothing in return. That's the problem most people are facing today.

It's not that people don't hate taxes. But rather, they don't want to pay "unfair" high taxes. Many countries are full of corrupt government officials, so I wouldn't expect things to improve for the better. We just need to learn to live with this.

[dansus021]

I do hate taxes but bro at some point we need to pay them because if we dont we can go to jail directly hahah, and your point was right the gov need tax money to subsidize, build roads and bridges, and other things. Some people hate gov or taxes because some gov do corruption using our money, that fucked up.

it’s not the nominal tax rate that breaks people's spirit, it's the hidden "inflation tax" and the loss of purchasing power that me you and everyone hates.But when the central bank expands the money supply and dilutes currency value, that’s a tax that nobody voted for and nobody gets a line-item receipt for.

[Fara Chan]

<<<

The inflation and the cost of everything isn't tallying with the increase of salary.
Taxes, obligations and other expenditures as well. And that's why many of us complaining that what we're earning is only enough to survive.
We need 2-3 or even more jobs if possible. But that's not the kind of life that we want to live, we're only living to work and barely have something to survive.

What you're saying resonates with me this year, and even last year. Anyone experiencing the conditions you describe always needs more work to survive and have something unique in their lives. However, with conditions becoming increasingly difficult due to rising taxes, other obligations, and daily expenses, it feels impossible to survive on just one job. So it's no wonder everyone wants more work to earn more income so they don't feel any pressure in these difficult times. But finding or creating any kind of work is currently very difficult.

[Junii]

The inflation and the cost of everything isn't tallying with the increase of salary.
Taxes, obligations and other expenditures as well. And that's why many of us complaining that what we're earning is only enough to survive.
We need 2-3 or even more jobs if possible. But that's not the kind of life that we want to live, we're only living to work and barely have something to survive.

Yes this is what I'm talking about that was my point as well. My late grandfather once told me that when I was young at that time only one person who was the head of family he will earn and most of his family ate while now a days majority of the family members are earning a money but they still faces financial difficulties looks like everyone wants to earn more no doubt money is very important I also agree but I also believe that sometime  just slow down and sit with the people we love and enjoy the life we worked so hard to build because those are the moments we can't buy back .