This is topic Economics joke in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


To visit this topic, use this URL:
http://www.hatrack.com/ubb/main/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=059464

---

Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
 
It's generally agreed that:

* If you tax something you get less of it.
* Death is bad.

It follows that everyone ought to support "death taxes".


 

---

Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
 
Also cancer taxes.

Not taxes on cancer-causing-things. Forget that. Just tax people who get cancer.

Because that's what's bad about cigarettes. Not the smoking itself, but the cancer. We want less of that!
 

---

Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
 
Just to belabor the point: if you tax something that people want to do you might get less, as people adjust their behavior.

But most people are already trying not to die. Likely trying as hard as they care to try. So the line of reasoning doesn't really apply here.

I know, I know, it's a joke. But still.
 

---

Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
 
Death taxes are doubly certain.
 

---

Posted by King of Men (Member # 6684) on :
 

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dan_Frank:
Just to belabor the point: if you tax something that people want to do you might get less, as people adjust their behavior.

But most people are already trying not to die. Likely trying as hard as they care to try. So the line of reasoning doesn't really apply here.

I know, I know, it's a joke. But still.

---

Ok, if you're going to take this with deadly seriousness... the joke can be taken as pointing out why "death tax" is a silly name. The tax is not on the act of dying, it's on the act of passing on an estate to your heirs. Now maybe we don't actually want less of this, that's a separate discussion; but if you insist on calling it a "death tax" then you should be prepared to accept that it's a useful tool for making people live longer.
 

---

Posted by Reticulum (Member # 8776) on :
 
Tax life, because everyone wants to live, but few are so brave.
 

---

Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
 
I can't agree that people are trying 'as hard as they can' not to die already, heh.
 

---

Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
 
That's a misquote. I said "trying as hard as they care to try."

Pretty important difference.
 

---

Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
 
So it it, my mistake. I saw the first line and didn't pay enough attention to the second.
 

---

Posted by Dan_Frank (Member # 8488) on :
 
No worries.
 

---