Is there ever a time or reason to lower taxes?

[fedupfisherman]

We all know if taxes are cut governments and services suffer.

[Ian David]

1. You cut taxes when you know there's a giant meteor headed to destroy the planet...

and people may as well have themselves a good time before the end comes.

[Deja Q]

7. So you're saying the end is coming?

[Ian David]

10. Republickers are doing their best to Emmanentize The Eschaton. n/t

[0rganism]

2. if the government paid off its debts and consistently runs a surplus, cut taxes

No point in having surplus revenues lingering in the treasury that could be used in transactions for goods and services, right?

[dflprincess]

12. I'd one more item

and the social welfare and educational needs of Americans are being met.

[0rganism]

14. I agree, earlier I figured that was implicit but you're right, it should be spec'd

The way I was looking at it, we have a (nominal) democracy wherein our elected officials determine how best to meet current needs (as they do change from time to time). Ideally, the "hows" end up reflected in budgetary line items, and whatever's left over after the budget is funded and debts are paid is surplus. If the elected budget crafters aren't putting in the right line items, we elect new ones, and so on.

However, at this point, we have a lot of folks in power who'd just as soon defund the entire government except the defense dept., so you're quite right that "meeting the needs of the people" has to be listed up there.

[Basileus Basileon]

3. Sure.

When the government is running a surplus and progress is being made paying down the national debt, despite adequate services being provided. Or if taxes are so high they're stifling growth to the point where the government would increase revenue by cutting taxes.

The latter was the argument made by President Bush back when he got his tax cuts passed. It was an incorrect one.

[sam sarrha]

6. you forgot to make the richest of the rich richer, and the middle and under classes poorer

[Basileus Basileon]

9. Well, if that's your goal, yeah, but I don't think that should be our policy,

so I omitted that.

[sam sarrha]

11. we need to keep pointing that out..

[TahitiNut]

4. It's called "peace"

It supposes that taxes are raised to finance an army in times of war and that those armies are disbanded in times of peace.

To declare war and simultaneoulsy reduce taxes is the mark of insanity.

[Warpy]

5. Taxes on working people need to be cut slightly

right now while taxes on extreme wealth need to be jacked way up. The minimum wage needs to be raised. Social Security needs to be restored to a pay as you go system and the percentage donation cut accordingly (something that will benefit business as well as workers).

The only condition that will favor a large and stable middle class, and by extension a stable country, is scraping money off the very top and recirculating it at the bottom, in effect propping up the 2/3 of the economy that is consumer driven.

Money has to be moving to work. The wealth lavished on the wealthy has allowed this country to slide into a de facto feudalism as they've put their wealth to work in every country but this one.

[ileus]

8. Everytime there's a chance people should choose to keep their earnings.

Really the government doesn't need 40-50% of anyones earnings.

[1000evorlrak]

13. Taxes should be cut.....

When they are at a level where they are retarding economic growth. Wealth has to be generated somehow, and it is possible to set taxation at a level that encourages good economic growth and does not harm government services.

[Canuckistanian]

15. In a perfect world

Taxes go up in good economic times and down in bad.

This ain't a perfect world.

[TimBean]

16. Yes. Immediately

When you let a small group of people control the flow of trillions of dollars, of course you will get obscene concentrations of power. Power corrupts and no one is immune.