Quote from Tresor:
You pay 30% income tax and have unbalanced budget, Russians pay 13% and have a budget surplus.
Quote from peilthetraveler:
And yet russians are rushing (no pun intended) to get out of Russia.
Quote from peilthetraveler:
Its very easy to have a budge surplus when you tax all of your citizens and then only spend the tax dollars in 2 cities of the entire country.
Quote from peilthetraveler:
Russia also has an employment rate thats the same as the US. And if you look at any town outside the major cities and people pretty much live in shacks there. Inflation was 14% in 2008 and almost 12% in 2009. The central bank discount rate was 13% at the beginning of 2009. Can you imagine high inflation like that WITH bank rates like that? Must be ALOT of money printing.
Quote from peilthetraveler:
GDP per capita was $15,000. Not alot of money and GDP FELL 8.5% in 2009. But hey...you russians got a 13% tax rate!
Quote from peilthetraveler:
Thats great...sounds like paradise. Its like looking at a bum who hasnt showered for 3 days, is filthy, smells, no job, no family, but has a brand new pair of shoes and wants everyone to see how nice those shoes are and ignore the rest.
Quote from Tresor:
If I am not mistaken the US debt far exceeds the money in cirulation. Mathematically the US debt is impossible to be repaid.
Quote from peilthetraveler:
I seem to remember USSR being in that same situation 20 years ago...only difference is we didnt collapse from our over spending at that time.
Quote from peilthetraveler:
But hey...you like low taxes? You should try Somalia then. They have a zero % tax rate.
Quote from peilthetraveler:
If you want nice streets, schools, places to put criminals and an army to protect you from a world thats pissed off at you for sucking up too much oil, you kind of need a higher tax than 13%