mooshoe pork kills me
And the secret weapon is ... zero capital gains tax.
Who are we kidding? We have been deceiving ourselves for a long time in saying “this is the best country in the world.” I submit it is OK but it may not be the best. We have accepted continuous compromise to wrap ourselves in mediocrity.
Ah yes, capital gains. You get the opportunity to risk tens of thousands for the opportunity to make thousands which are taxed (the government stands around waiting to see if you win and then like vultures swoop in to steal a portion of the gain) or lose a lot or all while the vultures walk away. Somehow this appears one-sided, does it to any of you?
I ran into an Ex-American in Norway a few years back, 15 years back as a matter of fact, he ran a successful small business there and had married a Norwegian and given up his US citizenship. I asked him about taxes and why he would do that....the answer...better value, a government supportive of his business and NEARLY EQUAL total taxes for which he actually got something of value. Then I would have debated his premise, now I will not. And yes, I do realize that Norway is built on oil wealth and that it has a small population. I also realize that for such a small population they have an incredibly disproportionate number of very good engineers and other professionals. There is a reason for that but political correctness forbids me from saying it here. Let’s just say there is no need for affirmative action there.
I believe that Russia also has no cap gains tax, and a flat tax to boot. Even backward places like Venezuela have flat taxes and simple tax codes.