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Comment by DrScientist | Hacker News Reader

Explain to me the benefit of attracting the wealthy if they don't pay tax?

Come to our country - have our police and courts and soldiers protect you wealth - all for free.

Oh - and because you are not paying tax - can I borrow some of that wealth please so I can pay for the stuff I'm providing for you free - I'll give you a healthy return.

The rich benefit the most from civilisation - and it costs - you can't just keep running from country to country hollowing it out for ever - eventually there will be nowhere left you can free ride.

Oh and in terms of the charts where you increase a particular tax and revenue goes up in the short term and down later - that's because people adapt - they find new ways to avoid tax ( yep including to pretend to have left the country ).

Just bwcause they run, that's not a reason to stop pursing them.

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> Explain to me the benefit of attracting the wealthy if they don't pay tax?

You've fallen victim to the false dichotomy. I don't see anyone argue the wealthy shouldn't pay any tax at all.

This renders the 2nd paragraph wrong. And then 3rd paragraph wrong too.

> you can't just keep running from country to country hollowing it out for ever - eventually there will be nowhere left you can free ride.

Depends how much time it takes to run from one country to another, and what you mean by "for ever" - if it takes you a year to move from one country to another and you live for 100 years, you need 100 countries. Pardon my humorous remark, I know this is not the point; but the actual argument is easier to counter: we don't have a single government for the Earth. We don't have a united dominating force to unify taxes in one civilization and sanction or isolate from the other civilizations for hosting the rich.

IMO the education is poor, producing stupid societies electing the governments which are incompetent, corrupt and largely sympathizing with the rich.

They should pay in proportion to the amount of value they capture - having in effect, much lower margin rates the wealthier you are doesn't help pay the bills or maintain some sort of meritocracy.

And sure - while you could move from one country to another like a parasite finding a new host, and cycle around as the original host recovers - the key questions is whether that results in a few people owning more and more as a result, and paying a lower and lower marginal rate until civilisation collapses. ( or the rich decide to take the rains of power instead to keep the society they benefit from so hugely afloat ).

> IMO the education is poor, producing stupid societies electing the governments which are incompetent, corrupt and largely sympathizing with the rich.

I think you underestimate the level to which the rich judicously share their wealth in order to influence people and policy.

Look at Singapore to understand the benefits of attracting wealth.

Singapore is a city-state. You may as well compare the Vatican.

They still pay vat at least and employe cleaners etc.

Better then nothing

They even try and avoid VAT - an example if flying a private jet outside the country to 'buy' it.

Or in the case of Abramovich - allegedly create a whole circular set of sham companies to avoid paying VAT on your super yacht.

See https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2025-06-19/cyp...

Until they lobby hard enough to have a reduced VAT on luxury goods as it happened in France. The argument being, you guessed it, otherwise they would buy stuff elsewhere.

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