Techindustry unreasonable profits tax?

[DrewEckhardt 0]

So how about a tech industry excessive profits tax?

The tech industry's pre-tax profit margins exceed the oil industry's by far. Microsoft gouges consumers for TWO TO THREE TIMES what the oil companies do!

Should we tax their excessive profits?

Pre-tax profit margins among big players in the tech industry were

Microsoft: 38.2%
Google: 33.3%
Intel: 24.2%

versus these in the oil industry

Exxon-Mobil : 18.6%
Chevron: 15.3%
Conoco-Phillps: 12.8%

[n23x 0]

What comparison for subsidies/tax exemptions within each sector do we have?

.jim

"Don't touch my fucking Easter eggs, I'll be back monday." ~JTFC

[billvon 2,996]

No special tax penalties _and_ no special tax benefits for either.

[kelpdiver 2]

when we go to war with Finland (Torvald) to help Microsoft hold off linux, we can talk about windfall profits taxes.

You might also note that oil is a massive trade inbalance in the wrong direction. Tech is one of our few exports of sigificance.

[chinagirl 0]

Why the hell would anybody think that raising tax is the best solution for ANY issue????

~Built for Abuse
www.skydivethefarm.com

[mnealtx 0]

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Why the hell would anybody think that raising tax is the best solution for ANY issue????

There's certain things that HAVE to be paid for... the difference is in WHAT you want to pay for, and how much.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

Why the hell would anybody think that raising tax is the best solution for ANY issue????

now you sound like the classic Libertarian - completely inpractical about the world we live in.

Use taxes are quite often the best solution.

And if the choice is raising taxes to buy something we want, or buying it anyway with borrowed foreign dollars, the former is usually the better call.

When is it wrong - lots of circumstances, I'm sure you can spill a bunch. But you if you can't see any circumstances, you're part of the problem.

[StreetScooby 5]

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No special tax penalties _and_ no special tax benefits for either.

This seems reasonable. There are issues surrounding barriers to entry for products that have social value, but our capitalistic system already has a way of dealing with that (i.e., venture capital). And, it works.

We are all engines of karma

[chinagirl 0]

Quote

now you sound like the classic Libertarian - completely inpractical about the world we live in.

Use taxes are quite often the best solution.

And if the choice is raising taxes to buy something we want, or buying it anyway with borrowed foreign dollars, the former is usually the better call.

When is it wrong - lots of circumstances, I'm sure you can spill a bunch. But you if you can't see any circumstances, you're part of the problem.

Don't get me wrong. I believe that tax is a necessity to a certain extent. I just don't see a need to RAISE taxes. There needs to be a REDUCTION in spending...

~Built for Abuse
www.skydivethefarm.com

[billvon 2,996]

>I just don't see a need to RAISE taxes. There needs to be a REDUCTION in spending...

I think we should make taxes match expenditures. Then cut taxes by cutting spending. Otherwise we will continue to do what we do now - spend and borrow until we can no longer service our debt.

[n23x 0]

If you buy an item with a credit card, you accumulate debt.

If you pay it off in time, you don't need to worry about it.

If you don't pay it off in time, you can't just say, "welp, I'm not going to buy anything else". You still have that accumulated debt that needs to be paid off.

Reduction in spending is definately a great first start. But we still have a giant credit card bill.

.jim

"Don't touch my fucking Easter eggs, I'll be back monday." ~JTFC

[chinagirl 0]

You're right. That's what I worry about. It seems as if the government just spends thinking that the treasury is a bottomless pit of money that can be filled by raising taxes whenever deemed necessary.

Even with a credit card, there is a limit. You stop using it once you reach that limit. Our government doesn't seem to stop. If there was a "limit", I think the dollar would be spent more wisely...(Hopefully.)

~Built for Abuse
www.skydivethefarm.com

[mnealtx 0]

Quote

You're right. That's what I worry about. It seems as if the government just spends thinking that the treasury is a bottomless pit of money that can be filled by raising taxes whenever deemed necessary.

Even with a credit card, there is a limit. You stop using it once you reach that limit. Our government doesn't seem to stop. If there was a "limit", I think the dollar would be spent more wisely...(Hopefully.)

That was the point I was driving toward when I did some threads on taxes and government spending, last week.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure there's any way (outside of constant public pressure and voting out the violators) to 'pull the pigs back from the trough'.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Deisel 38]

The entire premise of taxing someone because they have been successful is unamerican, violates the Bill of Rights (right to the pursuit of property), and downright sickening. The reason that so many businesses have left the country is beacuse of high taxes and other costs of doing business. The reward for doing well in business is making money. Why should that ever be penalized? 'You did well, now wheres my cut"

The brave may not live forever, but the timid never live at all.

[billvon 2,996]

>Even with a credit card, there is a limit. You stop using it once you
>reach that limit. Our government doesn't seem to stop. If there was a
>"limit", I think the dollar would be spent more wisely...

Definitely! To extend your example, it might be time to take away the government's credit card and give them a debit card. Spend more than they take in? Sorry, no more money; you'll have to either raise taxes (directly unpopular to voters) or stop spending so much money (unpopular to politicians, indirectly unpopular to voters.)

We have to do our part too. All too often I will hear someone say "We gotta cut spending!" Then when their favorite program is brought up (the Iraq war, border security, the WIC program, education) the reply is "well, cut someone ELSE's program is what I meant." We have to be willing to cut everything.

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

Tell me this, what was the last Google product you purchased? When was the last time you used their product?

When was the last time the Gov't ruled against any oil company as a monopoly and forced them to give away their source code for free?

When was the last time someone was able to reverse engineer oil and offer you a dozen free versions of what you normally pay for?

How many oil companies offer low sum carbon footprint products?

How much of oil is pirated and freely distributed across the entire globe? (at a massive profit loss and the cost of burden to create that product). What oil company has been ruled against by the court that they couldn't use the form of piracy protection they wanted to ensure their revenue stream?

Is oil as transparent as the IT industry when it comes to IPOs and public trading?

When was the last time the entire EU told oil company they had to keep supporting an outdated product and would fine them massively if they didn't? All this again causing more financial strain on them.



Apples and Oranges my friend.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....