@hlpflwthat He isnt advocating using HIS money for this scheme,is he?. Raising consumption taxes on a billionaire is painless. When consumption decreases because of the increase in taxes on average people he will advocate another tax....A billionaire doesn't make one infallible
@FreeSpirit1 Actually, from the little I've read of Werner, he is doing just that. Kinda like Warren Buffet, he thinks it's illogical that his secretary pay a higher percentage of her income in tax than he does.
More and more of us are looking at the work-per-person ratio. As we become more efficient at our work - the target of most every corporation in the world - there is simply less work to do per person.
@SW-User, and I'm willing to give up a part of my income for that. I think, people arguing about this tend to miss the other part of the equation. Yes, no doubt, there will be people who will sit on their asses doing nothing. But I'm convinced, the majority of people would want to keep themselves busy, and will occupy themselves with music, art, science, volunteer work or work in a field where they find their passion. The society as a whole will be happier if people will be freed from the constant worry about their physical survival.
@SW-User, we all need to work towards this goal :-) The simplest thing any of us can do is to think where we want to be as a society before casting our votes in an election.
That's why, rather than trying to stop the progress, I'm advocating for ways to mitigate the consequences. The basic universal income, in my opinion, is one of the ideas that will allow us, when we're freed by robots from the necessity to do labor, to live a satisfactory, productive and happy life :-)
@har7070 But first those ways to mitigate the effect of automation must be discussed and agree, and then automation implemented, not the other way around. Otherwise we make automation the end instead of the means.
Yeah communal dinner worked our really well for Commie China didn't it? How many died in the famine that followed? A Chinese student told me upward towards 10 million because people had lost their motivation to produce enough food, full belly no care.
@Cierzo There were people hired at the university for summer work who would work till they got their first paycheck and then they'd quit and not even call in, some of them were alcoholics...how much work do you think would be done if they'd been paid in advance
@hlpflwthat Germany has a progressive tax rate,the more you make the higher percentage they take. He may be generous to his employees and that's great but his secretary doesn't pay a higher percentage of her or his income in taxes unless they earn more than him.
@FreeSpirit1 Except ... that his secretary also pays sales tax, license plates, property tax, fuel tax - and all the other taxes we all pay. When we look at all these taxes lumped together, she pays a higher [i]percentage[/i] of her income in taxes - all taxes - than Buffet pays.
@FreeSpirit1 i have zero knowledge of German tax law but I am more than a little familiar with US tax law and in the US an employer can pay a lower tax rate than his employees IF he doesn't pay himself a salary.
warren buffet, senile old coot, comes to mind. He lent his half story to dumdums when he claimed his secretary paid more taxes than he did. She may have because he doesn't pay himself a salary, hasn't for years. He pays taxes on his investments and you pay those taxes only when you devest your money and use it rather than reinvesting it. Hello he was intentionally misleading but the dumb ass media and lefists fell for it, as they usually do.
SW-User
Universal basic income for us you mean...not for the elite ...
@SW-User I don't think so - everyone, rich or poor - would receive enough for necessities. Shelter, healthcare, food. We promise that today anyway - don't we with our 'safety net?'
