Texas' 'Electroline' tax

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by JSH

Can you expand on that thought? Wealth taxes go back thousands of years and a fundamental parts of both Christianity and Islam.

Someone willing to give money to a religious or charitable institution, which most likely is going to use such money to fund initiatives the donator agrees with, is much different than a government collecting taxes, and once in a while simply creating newer ones instead of addressing its own inneficiencies.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Someone willing to give money to a religious or charitable institution, which most likely is going to use such money to fund initiatives the donator agrees with, is much different than a government collecting taxes, and once in a while simply creating newer ones instead of addressing its own inneficiencies.

Old Testament tithes were not optional and the church and state were one and the same. You didn't get to choose a charity to donate to.

Some countries carry that same tradition forward to today and zakat is mandatory and collected by the state.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by JSH

Some countries carry that same tradition forward to today and zakat is mandatory and collected by the state.

Nowadays this is the exception, not the rule. AFAIK the only "civilized" country where people who declare being affiliated to a religion (Catholic or Lutheran churches) are charged a religious tax.