this post was submitted on 07 Dec 2023
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While I agree in principle, when tax dollars go to corporate tax cuts, handouts to failing financial institutions, and billionaire lunatics selling snake-oil space-based internet "solutions", its easy to get disillusioned about taxes.
We absolutely should be taxed to a high degree, but that money needs to be spent on collective benefits, not private corporate interests.
Saying taxes pay for cuts to someone else's taxes is nonsensical in this context. No money is spent on tax cuts.
You realize someone has to pay for public infrastructure and services, yes? If corporate interests do not pay the taxes that are typically expected of them, then someone else will have to cough up that money, or services will need to be cut.
"Paying" for tax cuts makes sense in the context of changing budgets while trying to keep them balanced. But no money is ever spent on tax cuts. It's spent on the public infrastructure and services you mentioned. If you properly account for the money as being used to pay for public goods, then saying it's also used to pay for tax cuts would be double counting.
Having to pay more for a shared cost so that someone else can pay less.... I don't think there's anything wrong with the shorthand "pay for someone else's tax cuts".
Alice and Bob agree to buy a shared lumber splitter. Alice takes a loan to pay for it, which Bob agrees to pay half of. When payments are due, Bob bails and does not pay, and he uses the lumber splitter anyways. Now Alice has to also pay the share that Bob agreed to pay.