I can only presume that the trolls are quite worried about the Taxing Wealth Report 2024. Since I have suggested that it is approaching completion, the volume of troll traffic on here that is not automatically deleted by spam filters has increased significantly and now amounts to almost half of all comments.
Thankfully, most trolls make themselves very easy to spot. As a result, there is no great difficulty in deleting the vast majority of these comments without having to read anything much beyond the first line. The trend is, however, significant and exposes the hypocrisy inherent in what many of these commentators like to claim, which is that my work is completely irrelevant. If it was, they would not be commenting in such numbers.
There is, however, in all this a problem for any new commentator who has a genuine desire to post a serious comment on the blog. If you wish to warn me of your intent to do so, please do get in touch. My contact details are on the blog. Tell me who you are, what email address you will be using and give me some serious evidence that you are a real human being. You can still use a short name to post if you wish, but please tell me what that is as well. That will increase the probability of your post getting on.
But be warned that I am well aware that some trolls try to appear to be reasonable people for three or four comments and then reveal their true selves. Anyone playing that game will end up being treated as spam just as much as those who reveal themselves on their first posting end up being treated that way.
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That strikes the balance between trolls and the more genuine challenges there might still be. Good for you.
It’s not that your work is irrelevant. It’s that other people might take it seriously that worries us trolls.
They will
You’re right
And that’s because it is very real, and threatens you.
I hope more people do take Richard’s work seriously, if only because some people seem to have very strange ideas about how the economy works.
For instance, I just heard Michael Walker on Novara Media say that the government obviously can’t borrow too much because it would cause inflation.
What worries me is that people take ideas like that seriously as Walker obviously does.
And it is just hopelessly untrue
Goodness.
First they ignore you, then when the blog gets traction it’s, ……..drown out serious discussion via trolling.
Which means that they are anti-democratic. The only legitimate view is their view – dissent is not permitted.
A very sad commentary on society.
I don’t know how you manage to keep your sanity, but I’m glad you do.
I think I was born very thick skinned
This has trigged a question I often have, and to which I detect some kind of answer in your taxation proposals:
What do you think of implementing a truly flat-rate income tax system. eg 0% up to some level (preferably higher than that required to live), with a flat rate of say 20% on everything above that.
Of course this implies that governments would need to stop trying to use the tax system to achieve social goals, which is perhaps a forlorn goal. I’m assuming it would make tax evasion harder, due to the resulting simplification of the tax laws.
The only country that has such a system that I’m aware of is Estonia, and their economy seems to be doing ok.
Try this
https://www.taxjustice.net/cms/upload/pdf/AACA_flat_tax_report_-_JUN_2006.pdf
The reality is a country can have a flat tax and no democracy or a progressive tax system and a democracy, but it cannot have flat tax and be a democracy
That will take a while to read through, although as far as I know Estonia is still classed as a democracy, so I’m assuming there’s a subtlety I’m missing.
It is wholly dependent on EU funding
A friend recently pointed me to this – the other end of the spectrum: Limitarianism – and a new book (yet another to read?)
“Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth”
Ingrid Robeyns, Random House, 2024
ISBN 9781802060485
She studied under Amartya Sen at Cambridge.
Endorsements from Pickett and Wilkinson (Spirit Level) and similar people, as one might expect…
Well reviewed by Martin Sandbu in the FT yesterday
Do you have any idea who these trolls are and what motivates them?
Or who is behind them?
No idea.
They almost never use the same identity in the same way twice. They know what they are doing.
Well, trolls and the like are a nuisance, who seem to just desire to tear down any constructive thinking and dialogue. I am thoroughly looking forward to reading your completed taxing wealth report and will share it around as much as I can. Your dedication to using your knowledge and energies to the betterment of this society is inspirational and appreciated.
Thank you
Richard I am really looking forward to the finished product!!!
It should lead to the best discussion ever, and hopefully some great ideas for hopefully the next Labour government!
Fingers crossed
Mr. Murphy,
Your work is invaluable and reading your daily posts is a great source of information, education and common sense. I don’t know where you find the energy.
But one thing strikes me about your comment here: you don’t strike me as a great fan of Labour in general and Ms. Reeves in particular and yet this sounds like an endorsement. I hope not. The last thing this country needs (but sadly probably will get) is a government led by Tories in red ties.
I am non party political
As per the above Richard, thank you, wholeheartedly thank you