Jonathan Dimbleby Quotes
I fail to understand how you can justify a poll tax on the entire population, yet exclude a significant proportion of that population from programmes that this tax is paying for.
Watts is a very low income, Los Angeles neighborhood; Beverly Hills, one of the most affluent Los Angeles neighborhoods. Usually a conservative, Friedman was intellectually very honest and opposed subsidies for the wealthy.
His principle was that if all men shared in paying taxes, no one would have to pay so much as to be impoverished. However, the tradition was to exempt so many citizens and classes of citizens that the burden fell heavily on the remainder. Today, in America, no one is exempted, but there are deductions and tax credits given so that some escape much taxation, the poor pay few taxes, and the burden still falls on some—today, the middle class.
The rising tide metaphor refers to the famous quote of John F. Kennedy: {32376}. Generally speaking a growing economy benefits all. However, after the general growth and prosperity of the Clinton administration, the George W, Bush administration produced an economy where the wealthy benefitted greatly, but middle class very little and many of the poor, not at all.
There are two reasons that government cannot depend on the rich for tax yield. First, there are very few rich compared to middle class workers. Although the rich person may pay more on the average in taxes, than others, there are not enough to cover all the expenses of a modern government. Second, because the rich make larger policitcal contributions and have lobbyists, they get legislation that exempts them from many taxes or provides loopholes. So even though the wealthy are theoretically supposed to pay a higher rate of taxes, as a practical matter, most wealthy people pay a lower tax rate than their secretaries or the waiter who will serve them lunch—the Buffet Principle.
Throughout most of the world, the rich and the aristocrats have been able to reduce or eliminate their tax obligations with the burden falling more heavily on the common people. Progressive taxation was thought to be a solution, but even in the United States by the 21st century many huge corporations paid little or no taxes while there was a heavy tax burden on small companies. Rich people generally paid a smaller percentage of their income than middle class people.
Poverty affect many more females than males. The individual decisions or lack thereof that can cause poverty in a family are much more frequently made by men with females having little or no say in many cultures. The politicians and powerful people who control many societies and could make the system changes needed to reduce poverty are mostly men.
Jonathan Dimbleby is a British presenter of current affairs and political radio and television programmes, author and historian. He is the son of Richard Dimbleby and younger brother of British TV presenter David Dimbleby.
