Post B15COWsZotUlSDOP1E by drahardja@sfba.social
(DIR) More posts by drahardja@sfba.social
(DIR) Post #B15Bb5xZ7LJfm79blY by blogdiva@mastodon.social
2025-12-09T00:50:37Z
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RE: https://mastodon.social/@NotDennisBonvie/115686527415480408today’s #AltTxt #yaddayadda:❝ Norwegian here. Here's a fun fact about taxes in Norway: We don't file them. Your employer reports your income and deducts the right amount each month. Then the government sends you a pre-filled tax return in March. You check it, and if everything looks right, you click "OK". If you paid too much, you get a refund. If you paid too little, you get an invoice.No paperwork. No stress. Follow for more real life glimpses into a social democracy. ❞
(DIR) Post #B15Bb7HSCsors5T0PA by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-12-09T20:08:33Z
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@blogdiva> Here's a fun fact about taxes in Norway: We don't file them. Your employer reports your income and deducts the right amount each monthFun fact about NZ, taxes on wages and salaries work the same way. It's called Pay As You Earn. Banks deduct taxes automatically on interest too. You only have to file a tax return if you're a contractor or a business owner.> Follow for more real life glimpses into a social democracyI wouldn't describe NZ as a social democracy anymore, but ....
(DIR) Post #B15COV8SIt0a2so3UW by drahardja@sfba.social
2025-12-09T01:10:04Z
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@blogdiva The funny thing is that I suspect a large number of USians will initially not believe that other countries do it this way, and then when they finally admit it’s true, they’ll find ways to rationalize why the US way is better, actually.
(DIR) Post #B15COWJTvNQFhMyNJg by msbellows@c.im
2025-12-09T03:31:42Z
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@drahardja @blogdiva Don't you get deductions for charitable contributions or travel? What if you're self-employed?
(DIR) Post #B15COWsZotUlSDOP1E by drahardja@sfba.social
2025-12-09T05:41:03Z
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@msbellows @blogdiva I think tax deductions for charitable contributions is a bad idea, as it incentivizes what is basically tax evasion: rich people establish charities that by *sheer coincidence* invest in things that align with the interests of the rich person. Rich person then “donates” a ton of money to this “charity” to get a massive tax write off.Charitable organizations getting tax-exempt status? Maybe, we can discuss that separately. But donations to charitable organizations getting tax deductions? Bad idea IMO.
(DIR) Post #B15COXkoZEseAQliYi by Rycaut@mastodon.social
2025-12-09T05:47:49Z
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@drahardja @msbellows @blogdiva it is even more corrupt than you imply. Really rich people don't donate cash to charities (or at least mostly not cash)Instead they "donate" appreciated assets to most often their own "Donor Advised Fund" - which is technically a charity so the "trick" being they get a credit for a charitable donation in the amount of the value of the asset when donated without having to pay capital gains on the sale of that asset.Then they may make grants to other charities
(DIR) Post #B15COYfXAMFb0LJ0y0 by Rycaut@mastodon.social
2025-12-09T05:51:06Z
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@drahardja @msbellows @blogdiva this second part being the other half of the problem - most very wealthy folks "charitable" donations are either to a Donor Advised Fund or to their own personal foundation (the ultra wealthy may have their own foundations) from either they are then supposed to make further donations/grants to other charities - but many don't or only make small grants(full disclosure I have a very small DaF myself - funded with past stock grants from old employers of my wife)
(DIR) Post #B15COZabk9u7rM0avY by msbellows@c.im
2025-12-09T15:43:37Z
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@Rycaut @drahardja @blogdiva That's bad, but it's just a loophole that needs to be closed, a "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" situation. I like the charitable donation deduction, because it basically allows citizens to rewrite the government budget to spend money on butter instead of guns: if I donate to an organization working for refugees, that's money the government can't tax me on to fund ICE.
(DIR) Post #B15COaNApakiHyjNcu by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-12-09T20:17:23Z
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@msbellows > it basically allows citizens to rewrite the government budget to spend money on butter instead of gunsThe same is true in reverse though, and I suspect this kind of thing happens much more often. It allows control over huge volumes of not-for-profit spending to be removed from democratic control via elected officials, to being personally controlled by the wealthy and reflecting their prejudices and self-interest.@Rycaut @drahardja @blogdiva
(DIR) Post #B15WfsDBl2Tncba6Vs by Rycaut@mastodon.social
2025-12-10T00:02:49Z
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@strypey @msbellows @drahardja @blogdiva it is also restrictive to the folks who actually do stuff. In a bunch of ways. Non-profits generally can’t lobby or be political (this gets complicated - but is generally true of the charitable non-profits ie 501.3c nonprofits that most people think of). Religious nonprofits are another category. But also many donations are restricted to a specific use or only for the operations of a nonprofit. It is often harder for nonprofits to raise capital funds
(DIR) Post #B15e6WkgLt7iYyu7qC by Rycaut@mastodon.social
2025-12-10T00:07:56Z
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@strypey @msbellows @drahardja @blogdiva so funding stuff like a nonprofit buying the building where they operate is often much harder for them to raise funds for (not impossible just more challenging). My son’s school for example has acquired the land for one of their two campus’ (but that was due to a great lease signed decades ago with the local city). But a lot of nonprofits would be better off if they had assets and even investments so were less dependent on fundraising every year
(DIR) Post #B15e6Y39WhUaaYYOGm by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-12-10T01:27:58Z
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@Rycaut > a lot of nonprofits would be better off if they had assets and even investments so were less dependent on fundraising every year💯%. I'd include public agencies in this.One way corporatists hobble public services is to get themselves into positions where they can make public agencies sell off the buildings they work out of, and lease them back. This creates secure income for property extractors, and artificially inflates apparent public spending.@msbellows @drahardja @blogdiva
(DIR) Post #B178wazz00pwZklVUu by Rycaut@mastodon.social
2025-12-10T18:47:49Z
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@strypey @msbellows @drahardja @blogdiva absolutely. And public agencies and quasi public bodies like the US Postal Service should avoid such schemes of selling off real eastwre and other assets and leasing them back. Such organizations should hold lands and buildings in trust for all of us - when/if they no longer need them they should focus first on finding other public serving uses long before any privatization or selling off the assets to private buyers.
(DIR) Post #B17kDAcq0KX00VhpL6 by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-12-11T01:45:50Z
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@Rycaut > Such organizations should hold lands and buildings in trust for all of usPreach!> public agencies ... should avoid such schemes of selling off real eastate and other assets and leasing them backEven for-profit businesses should avoid this. Apparently it's a common trick of career CEOs, who use it to boost liquidity in the short term and of move on up to the next job, leaving their successors to deal with the higher long term costs.@msbellows @drahardja @blogdiva
(DIR) Post #B17obQnnuV6Uwgevxo by Rycaut@mastodon.social
2025-12-11T02:34:59Z
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@strypey @msbellows @drahardja @blogdiva yup. Selling assets and leasing them back juices the numbers in the short term while setting up companies for higher expenses and risks in the future. In contrast many of the longest lasting businesses have managed to own their core assets and invest in them over the long term. Restaurants, retailers and light manufacturers who manage to own their buildings have far greater ability to adapt to changing times and needs and survive for generations
(DIR) Post #B17rt1rpelgwgactFo by strypey@mastodon.nzoss.nz
2025-12-11T03:11:51Z
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@Rycaut > Non-profits generally can’t lobby or be politicalIn NZ company law, not-for-profit status and charitable status have been separated out. So you still have to pay tax as an incorporated society or trust, unless you apply to be recognised as charitable.So you can either pax tax and lobby all you want, or get tax-free status and stay out of electoral politics. I don't hate that, TBH.@msbellows @drahardja @blogdiva