It is said that there are only two things that are certain in life: death and taxes.
The government needs the financial resources to perform its duties.
Taxes are obviously necessary.
However, not all taxes are created equal.
What criteria can we use to evaluate the usefulness of a tax, and its contribution to running a balanced society?
What taxes are harmful and should be abolished?
What taxes would, overall, be more beneficial?
What proportions do harmful taxes take in a government's budget, as compared to more benign taxes?
In Taiwan, lawmakers propose a bill to levy a vacancy tax on homeowners
to release more vacant homes onto the housing market and lower property prices.
A property tax is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.
The under-occupancy penalty results from a provision of the British Welfare Reform Act 2012
whereby tenants living in public housing with rooms deemed "spare" face a reduction in Housing Benefit.