askJZ: Taxes and Immigration
May 05, 2010Thanks for your questions! Remember, get your questions about advertising, business, the economy and more answered every Wednesday by posting comments to blog posts or on Twitter via #askjz.
“Value added taxes (VAT) discussions have been around for years but seem to have been resurrected with the recent burgeoning U.S. deficits. Many countries around the world use them. Do you think they make sense in this country?”
We can’t afford to add ANOTHER tax without reevaluating our entire tax strategy. Because VAT is easily collected and increased, it promotes larger government and more entitlement spending. Why would we add another new revenue stream to “feed the beast” that the U.S. economy has become, especially right now when consumers are already struggling??
Instead of VAT, we need to think about shrinking our government. Look at what Mitt Romney did as Governor in the state of Massachusetts. He completely turned around the state’s economy by shrinking the size of the government, all without raising taxes or increasing debt. When he took office in 2003, he faced a $1.2 billion deficit. He reduced that deficit to a $700 million surplus! And he did all that WITHOUT RAISING TAXES!!
President Obama needs to take a hard look at the size of our government instead of simply levying another tax.
“I was surprised when Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed her state’s new law allowing police officers to verify anyone in the state’s immigration status and requiring them to provide proof of citizenship or legal residency. What is your opinion of the law and the broader issue of the US immigration policy?”
I’m a firm believer that America thrives and prospers as a result of our ethnic diversity. That being said, I’m also very angry that we cannot seem to secure our borders. When my forefathers emigrated here from Russia, Poland and England, they came in legally through Ellis Island in New York. This country has been built on controlled and legal immigration. I have absolutely no problem with that. However, we now have an estimated 11 million ILLEGAL ALIENS living in this country!! That is unacceptable. Obviously our current immigration policy isn’t working.
While I applaud Governor Brewer’s efforts, there should definitely have been more thought put into her action plan. Furthermore, there should be a larger objective here than just stopping illegal immigration with hasty state laws and national immigration policy. Our goal should be creating a comprehensive policy that keeps America competitive and positions us as leading the world economy.
Thanks for your questions. Keep them coming so you can get straight answers from me here or at #askjz.
We need tax reduction, not a new tax! You are right that we need to re-evaluate our tax strategy from the ground up. Everyone in the US needs to have a stake in the tax system, not just the 53% that currently pay taxes.
I read the new Arizona Law and noted the changes. The law before the changes was actually tougher. The changes actually lowered fines from the previous law and further spelled out that profiling should not be used and that only if someone suspected of committing another offense can law officers ask for proof of citizenship. One of the proofs of citizenship is a valid driver’s license. That should not be a problem for any driver. However, the law also states that only an individual authorized by the Federal Government can actually determine someone’s citizenship. Arizona officials can detain someone but it is still up to the Federal Government to enforce current Federal Law. All countries, including Mexico, require visitors to keep documentation on them at all times to prove their visitation status. We need to grow a pair and do the same.
As for a comprehensive immigration policy, the only comprehensive policy we will get out of the current administration is one that grants amnesty. Each state will have to do what Arizona is doing if things are going to change for the better. Illegal immigration is already a Federal crime. We just need to enforce the current Federal law, deport illegal aliens as specified in the Federal law and secure the borders with a modern fence.
Marlon if we deport as you suggest, who will do the work in this country i.e. cut our grass, clean stalls, pick our fruit, harvest our crops all cost efficiently etc etc , please look around you and you will see that most of the work our forefathers did, todays children wont do !! So who will do it ?? And at what cost ?? I do not support illegal immigration, however, fact is they are more the backbone of this country then anyone would suspect. Good Luck.
Pat, if there is no one else left who will do the work at the price offered, then employers would have to either pay more to attract employees or be more innovative (e.g. robots or other machines). Much of farming used to be done by hand, then animals were utilized and then machines to make the process more efficient. All costs are ultimately borne by the consumer / tax payer, whether it is the cost of the product we buy or the cost of the social services we pay for the illegal aliens through taxes.
Pat, if there is no one else left who will do the work at the price offered, then employers would have to either pay more to attract employees or be more innovative (e.g. robots or other machines). Much of farming used to be done by hand, then animals were utilized and then machines to make the process more efficient. All costs are ultimately borne by the consumer / tax payer, whether it is the cost of the product we buy or the cost of the social services we pay for the illegal aliens through taxes.