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What Will Not Be Taxed in the Future?
I have learned recently that Venice, Italy, is charging 5 euros to gain entry to the city. The city has experienced a high volume of profit. There are peak times that they charge; there are 29 dates from April to mid-July, mostly holidays and weekends, between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m..
Realizing that nothing in Venice costs under 5 euros, including coffee, it’s not too expensive in the big picture. The profit so far is 2.43 million euros, or about 2.75 million US dollars. That’s a lot of espressos.
Some people asked, “Why should I pay an entrance fee to a city?” It wouldn’t fly in New York City; imagine putting a turnstile at all the various ways to enter the city. They actually do have tolls, which is sort of the same thing. The E-Z pass for bridges and tunnels entering the city is $11.00-$14.00, depending on peak hours. Chicago and San Francisco all have these tolls; travel is a curse. They charge to enter Disneyland and Epcot. The only advantage is that in Disneyland and Venice, you don’t drive. Trams in Disneyland, gondolas, and water taxis in Venice.
There is always a side hustle to these fees, and there is no way to escape them. If you drive or walk, you are charged. Parking at sporting events is so expensive that gas is taxed and relaxed.
Wouldn’t it be Utopia if there was a society that existed with no cars, no gas, no taxes, and no entrance fees?
Can anyone make a suggestion? Maybe artistic intelligence can answer this riddle.
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11 Replies
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Your remark about Venice’s entry fee and its comparison with tolls imposed by other cities raises some interesting thoughts about taxation and access fees in the future. To answer your question, “What Will Not Be Taxed in the Future?” is difficult to say, but here are a few things that could be considered:
Vital services: It is unlikely that necessities like clean water, emergency response systems, or primary education will ever be taxed.
Breathing: Though there are taxes on air pollution, for instance, it is unlikely that people will be required to pay for breathing one day.
Natural phenomena: Sunlight, rain, and other natural events cannot possibly attract charges.
Ideas and opinions: Intellectual property can be monetized but not thinking itself.
Fundamental human rights: Freedom of speech; assembly should not directly face taxation.
Nevertheless, governments and local authorities continue searching for alternative sources of revenue generation. Hence, to them, what seems untaxable today may become taxable tomorrow. Your illustration from Venice is a case in point: charging people entering a city was unheard of before, but now it’s implemented.
Comparing what you said about how much one pays at Disneyland or Epcot with entrance fees charged by this Italian city shows good insightfulness. These places are different because while both require payment upon entry, Venice still serves as a home for many locals, unlike those American theme parks that only cater exclusively to tourists throughout their existence so far. This indicates that blending public spaces with tourist sites might become more common as time goes on – like what sometimes happens when some attractions become integrated within urban areas rather than outside them, such as Disneyland Paris next to the French capital region il-de-France, etc.
True enough, too, when we think ahead considering various ways through which revenues can be raised besides traditional forms:
Digital tax based on internet coverage used plus data consumption.
Environmental impact levies.
Making motorists pay extra depending on how much congestion they cause within different parts of the city.
Imposing charges for utilizing automated systems, especially where artificial intelligence is involved heavily
Space tourism taxes are some of the more future-oriented thoughts we could have concerning this matter.
In summary, though, it is highly likely that as long as people need basic necessities to survive, they will not be required by law anywhere in the world, including developed nations having advanced economies like the United States of America, Canada, or European Union countries such as Germany, France, etc. All these places will always strive to ensure that public welfare remains paramount above everything else.
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I remember when I was in college nearing college graduation. College students with mediocre grades often went to work for local, county, state, or government jobs. The high end college graduates who graduated in the top of their classes had job offers from General Motors, IBM, General Dynamics, and other large private corporations. Now it is the opposite. Government jobs offers higher pay, strong job security, best benefits, and the best pensions. People who work for the government have no motivation to get better. Government want to tax the shit out of people and just do their time. Why is FedEx, UPS, thriving and the U.S. Post Office on the brink of financial collapse? Why is most local, county, state, and federal government always broke and are spending more than they take in. Why is government always thinking of ways to tax the crap out of people and anything they can think of and are still broke. In my opinion, you need to run government agencies like a business. DON’T SPEND MORE THAN YOU BRING IN. LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS. FIRE THE NON-PRODUCERS. TRIM THE FAT. It costs me $20.00 in tolls one way to commute to my office. $40.00 round trip. Plus I have fuel costs of $20.00, wear and tear on my vehicle, and a $850.00 monthly car payment.
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Don’t forget government pensions.
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As a police officer in Chicago, Illinois, you can get a pension of 50% of your salary after serving 20 years plus benefits for the rest of your life. After serving the Chicago Police Department for 25 years, you are eligible for 75% of your salary. Retired Chicago police officers may also receive an annuity based on their final average salary. The final average salary is the highest four consecutive years of salary from the last ten years of service. For Tier 1 members, the annuity is calculated by multiplying the final average salary by 2.5% for each year of service, up to a maximum of 75%. Tier 2 members also multiply their final average salary by 2.5% for each year of service, but the maximum is also 75%.
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The median annual pension for a retired Chicago police officer is approximately $64,000. However, this figure can vary significantly depending on the length of service and rank at the time of retirement. For some of the highest earners, the average pension can exceed $110,000 annually
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Our tax system is not fair. Corporations pay taxes on their profits. Corporations pay their employees from their corporate profits or revenue. Corporations pay the employer matching taxes. Employees need to pay taxes on their wages. Consumers need to pay sales taxes again from their after taxed wages to buy goods and services. There is no end with taxes.
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You’re right that the US tax system is complicated and multi-tiered. Here’s an explanation of how taxes work on different levels:
Federal Taxes:
Income Tax: Progressive system based on income brackets.
Payroll Taxes: Social Security and Medicare (FICA).
Corporate Income Tax: Flat rate on corporate profits
Estate Tax: On large inheritances.
Excise Taxes: On specific goods like fuel, alcohol, and tobacco.
State Taxes:
State Income Tax: Varies by state (some have none)
Sales Tax: Varies by state
Property Tax: Often collected but distributed to local governments.
Corporate Income Tax: In most states.
Fuel Tax: On gasoline and diesel.
County and City Taxes:
Property Tax: Primary source of local government funding.
Local Sales Tax: In some jurisdictions.
Income Tax: In some cities (e.g., New York City).
Special Assessment Taxes: For specific local projects
Indeed, it is complex, with multiple layers of taxation:
Corporations are taxed on their profits. Workers are taxed on their wages. Consumers are taxed through sales tax when they make purchases. Property owners pay property taxes.
The same money can be taxed several times as it moves through the economy, although this system aims to fund government services at all levels.
Some arguments for such a system include:
Diversifying government revenue streams Targeting taxation for specific services Spreading the weight across different economic activities
There is no shortage of criticism, either. For example:
It is overly complex and expensive to administer. Disincentives may be created for economic activity. Sales taxes, in particular, can be regressive.
Reforming our tax system has been attempted and continues to occur. However, significant changes are difficult due to its intricacy, which spans federal, state, and local interests. Fairness in taxation remains an ongoing major political issue throughout America.
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The United States tax system is intricate and has multiple levels: federal, state, county, and city. Here’s an overview of the taxes that are collected at each level:
Federal Taxes
Income Tax:
Individuals: This refers to the tax on wages, salaries, investments, and other income types. In America, they use a progressive system whereby as one earns more money, so does their tax rate increase.
Corporations: Taxation is based on company profits. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act implemented a major change: reducing this rate from 35% to 21%.
FICA Taxes: Both employees and employers pay Social Security and Medicare contributions (Federal Insurance Contributions Act). Social Security costs employees 6.2%, while they contribute to Medicare at a rate of 1.45%. Employers match these rates, which they then send to the government.
Capital Gains Tax:
This kind of charge affects any profit derived from selling assets or investments. If the asset has been held for less than one year, it is classified as short-term gain where higher rates apply, unlike those long-term gains made when such after the holding period exceeds twelve months, attracting lower percentages.
Estate Tax:
It’s a duty levied on wealth transfer following death; only a few people have estates large enough to be taxed under current US law. A high federal estate exemption covers most estates, exempting them from paying this tax.
Other Taxes:
Excise duties imposed upon specific goods like fuel, tariffs, etcetera attracted by various imported items into America, besides some other particular kinds of taxes on different commodities such as alcoholic beverages, among others
House Owners:
Homeowners pay property tax based on the government’s decision on the property’s worth; this money goes towards local services such as schools, police stations, and roads.
There are so many different taxes at different levels that people have to pay them repeatedly. This might seem unfair because individuals and businesses could be taxed on parts of their income, spending, or assets more than once.
To sum up
You should know how taxes work if you want to make good financial decisions. Governments have their ways of raising revenue, but they all rely on some taxation; when these methods overlap, it can create big problems for individuals and companies alike. For more information, try looking things up online—plenty of websites will give you details about everything from federal rules to local changes!
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Ollie, thank you for your service, some family members of mine are “Blue.”