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Government should reduce its "effect" after private enterprise goes about doing what it should. Just like it did following WWII, when massive government investment preceded private businesses flourishing. No?
Demographic cycles had a lot to do with the 50's. Plus coming off of a 15 year down economy helped us to bounce back.
Why didn't it bounce back sooner, and before requiring a few years of massive government spending?
Because the demographics weren't favorable and most government spending was on war, not anything long lasting. Once people were home and back to a normal life they started building families and family formation drives an economy.
A user fee is designed to recoupe the cost of a service and the funds are strictly used to support that service. For a hunting or fishing license fee the fee cost goes to things like stocking fish or game, paying the wardens to make sure laws are being followed, to conduct population studies to assess fish or game population size and health, and to purchase or maintain areas where the activity can be done by the general public.
It's really not that complicated. Another example from that horrible cut & paste list was the tolls for a toll bridge or tunnel (most of which are actually privately owned but some toll roads are government owned) where the toll is used to help pay the construction cost and maintenance of the bridge or tunnel as well as to pay profits to investors (in the form of interest on the construction bonds). Since the person paying the toll is using the bridge or tunnel it is EXTREMELY reasonable for them to pay for that service but it isn't compulsory as usually there is another route which could be taken (even if it takes longer) which would not involve paying a toll.
CB10 seems to believe that paying his water bill is a tax when in fact it is a fee charge for the service of having water delivered to his home so it comes out of his tap. He has also nonsensically claimed that court fines are "indirect taxes" when in fact they are punishments for breaking the law. Around half of his list of taxes aren't even taxes which is why normal people are laughing at the list he cut & pasted.
Does it really matter what the difference is? Either way, it's the gov't collecting money from citizens, usually most of these are BS fees or taxes. Like all the "fees" added to your cell phone bill...WHY in the world is this necessary? I think I pay enough for my cell phone already.
The Income tax Amendment wasn't adopted until 1912 and wasn't implemented by the government until 1913 so I find it a stretch to think that individual Americans were paying income tax in 1911. Just about the only Federal taxes upon individuals were on liquor.
Even the first state sales tax wasn't enacted until 1921 in West Virginia.
No big deal but if you are alluding to income tax, just wanted to set the record straight. There weren't very many taxes before the 20th century because government was small and didn't demand the money it does today with a vicious and voracious appetite for more and more money.
Actually, i wasn't referring to any particular tax at all. I was simply responding to another poster.
Why would you ask a non-liberal, non-bureaucrat, low-tax loving American to explain some bullsh*t tax that was dreamed up by some government accountant so that the government should take even more of my money?
You should ask one of your own what these stupid-a$$ taxes are for.
So...you're saying you can't explain the difference between a government fee and a government tax.
If you can't explain something, then you can't claim to understand it.
This means that you don't actually understand what you posted.
Oerdin, thanks for the explanation, however I do know the difference between the two. I was posting to point out that clb10 was posting some jingoistic blarney that sounded good to him but that he himself didn't really understand.
Does it really matter what the difference is? Either way, it's the gov't collecting money from citizens, usually most of these are BS fees or taxes. Like all the "fees" added to your cell phone bill...WHY in the world is this necessary? I think I pay enough for my cell phone already.
Yes, it does matter.
Fees directly charge the users for the use of the resource held in common for all. Or at least that's what fees are supposed to do.
The gasoline tax pays for building and repairing roads. Are you claiming that it's your right to use the roads for free?
There's no such thing as a free lunch, or a free road.
Government should reduce its "effect" after private enterprise goes about doing what it should. Just like it did following WWII, when massive government investment preceded private businesses flourishing. No?
No.
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