SOCIAL CHOICE AND THE FUZZY TAX FORM by Bart Kosko,
University of Southern California
here's a how globalideasbank.org explain the idea:
Summarised from an article by Bart Kosko entitled 'Libertarian pragmatism' from Liberty (Sept '94; PO Box 1181, Port Townsend, WA 98368 USA) monitored for the Institute by Roger Knights. Readers are referred to a similar proposal entitled 'Reward the invention, not the feasibility study' on page 205 of The Book of Visions (Institute for Social Inventions, 1992).
I propose a 'fuzzy tax form' to bring some personal choice into how the state spends whatever taxes it takes from its subjects. I propose that half the money go to general revenue as before. The other half goes, to some degree, to broad categories of your choice.
A fuzzy tax form could fund research contests for large cash prizes. Society gets what it gives rewards for. So reward researchers for breakthroughs. The latest trend is to punish them if they fail to come up with a breakthrough. That does not condition the same social reflexes.
California now requires a minimum number of electric cars on its street by 1998. It wants 2% or more of the cars sold there in 1998 to emit no pollutants.
So put up a few million dollars for the best electric car or the best way to clean up oil spills. Put up a billion dollars or 100 billion dollars for a cure for lung cancer or Aids. A fuzzy tax form would not just help society get what it pays for, but would let it pay for what it wants to get.
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― Sébastien Chikara (Sébastien Chikara), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 14:59 (twenty-one years ago)
We elect representatives to spend our money for us. Look at california where they can vote on spending proposals and tax increases, they are fucked (that's a legitimate financial term there).
― Ed (dali), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 15:03 (twenty-one years ago)
"let society pay for what it wants to get." made me think of a couple of examples that might be dangers to democracy.
It could be possible that in some places, people would chose to be more in favor of the death penality to save money on prisons.
This summer Chrétien said the gov won't make a referendum on gay marriage since it is about the rights of a minority. I thought it was interesting, it was like admitting the bulk of the population was reactionary and possibly hostile to minorities. "take it easy, big chief! they are people like you and me."
I wonder what solutions anarchism propose for those ethical problems.
― Sébastien Chikara (Sébastien Chikara), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 15:27 (twenty-one years ago)
so you could veto the use of your money on weapons? i think the idea
might have a few
minor flaws.
― enrique (Enrique), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)
NA it's good to have an idea but what really is important is being able to connect it to the network of ideas to let people decide if they'll make it a classic or a dud.
― Sébastien Chikara (Sébastien Chikara), Tuesday, 18 November 2003 15:39 (twenty-one years ago)