Do We Really Need to Tax the Rich?

Ash talks to author and economist Stephanie Kelton, whose work as an advisor to Bernie Sanders has put her front and centre of the debate around government debt, taxation and the potential green industrial revolution.

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[vaska]

Most people don't know this, but there was a time when corporations and the mega-rich were taxed to 90% in the US. You know why it's necessary never to so much as mention it....

[jagodopobieracz]

Muslims watching like "we told you so 1450 years

[morgan]

Don't get your hopes up for a policy that makes sense. Our leaders prefer policies that secure their place at the top. Elite status requires a sea of poor, sick, uneducated little people.

[jonhughes]

Can you imagine the kind of world we could have if wealth was distributed evenly among all peoples of our planet. We could be living in a paradise where none starved, all had access to education and health care. Humanity could then focus on peace and exploration.

[amgguy]

To which I said: "Ya'll have forgotten the teachings of Robin Hood."

If the ultra-wealthy don't feel it, you didn't recover sufficiently, try, try again.

[kikkman]

🤬 the taxes just put a maximum wage. If you can’t live off of 2 million a year it sucks to be you.

[talibatalilm]

We call this Zakah in Islam - 2.5% (1/40) of a saving which has been above the minimum threshold for a full lunar year that is mandatory on all Muslims. Please look into Islam

[mikeroy]

. . .the dollar value of the top 1 percent is 44.6 trillion - certainly sounds like a solution, BUT history has taught us wealth doesn't give up wealth and power doesn't give up power.

[tailsboy]

What is the point? The point is affordable child care? Higher education? Like you just said it. The point isn't to "contain wealth", that's not what taxes are for. In a monetary system the point is to use it to ensure that wealth gets distributed enough that everyone is wealthy. So everyone can have a good life. They won't feel it? Ok then, do it, so we can fix our infrastructure, provide healthcare, and all the basics

[MetalSamantha]

The point is that the truly wealthy think everything and everyone only exists to serve them and them alone and they won’t have any politicians trying to question it

And honestly home owners generally aren’t the people I mean

The truly wealthy could buy 100 homes a day, every day, for the rest of the lives and still be wealthy

Those are the people our politicians don’t want to inconvenience

[Kit-sezs]

Gee, what a novel idea that I'm sure has never been done before in America and never worked amazingly well to build a healthy middle class and literally birth a massive new generation of people called Boomer Babies! 🙃🙃🙃

[leedowner]

Expropriate the rich, take everything

[jonnymahony]

Why do we need to tax them, when taxes are just debits on a bank ? 🤔I want to learn more about mmt! It's awesome 👏

[d]

The point of Kelton’s tax is to make sure that everyone is equally poor

[legendary_soup]

What is the point of the tax in the first place? There is literally no need for it.

[SidAmadeusRyan]

There sould always be a celling value on how much billionaire a person can become, the surplus always goes to the helpless families, it could also be implemented as stock ownership. It is good. Some lottery to give some apple - Tesla 0.1% ownership packages 😅. I think some hate speech is coming 😅

[rabburns]

The work of Greg Philo is worth a look...
R.I.P. ❤

[stevosd]

They won't tax their mates so forget it. The rich shall inherit the earth it says so in the bible 🙃

[samdegoeij]

I like her thinking and critique of Warren. Kelton is right, what's the piint if the rich don't feel it? Why not take more? I'd argue take a massive chunk and use it to improve society and their ability to even get there.

[davidwilkie]

Not really, just make it compulsory to contribute equally to the independence of government agencies?