{"id":48802,"date":"2019-06-09T03:00:37","date_gmt":"2019-06-09T07:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/?p=48802"},"modified":"2019-06-08T10:22:09","modified_gmt":"2019-06-08T14:22:09","slug":"people-who-call-for-higher-taxes-are-almost-always-hypocrites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quotulatiousness.ca\/blog\/2019\/06\/09\/people-who-call-for-higher-taxes-are-almost-always-hypocrites\/","title":{"rendered":"People who call for higher taxes are almost always hypocrites"},"content":{"rendered":"

And the numbers prove it<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There are many people who tell us that taxation in the UK is too low. Just think of all the gorgeously bureaucratic things that could be done if only the government had more money! Then there\u2019s the number of people who actually do pay more tax on the basis that they think the government should have more money. The second being a rather smaller number than the first.<\/p>\n

Which does bring us to that basic point that economists do insist upon making. Revealed preferences are a much better guide to what people do in fact believe than are expressed. Or, as folk wisdom has it, talk is cheap. That many shout that taxes should be higher \u2013 usually to insist that them over there should be taxed more \u2013 is interesting and amusing. But the actual number of people who really believe taxes should be higher is the number of people who voluntarily offer up more of their own hard earned to the government.<\/p>\n

Which means that, according to the aggregate views and actions of the population of Britain taxes last year were too low by exactly the amount of \u00a311,069. Everyone else is just virtue signalling<\/a>:<\/p>\n