Weekly Congressional Update (KS) & Thoughts on Taxes (CTPA)
Day 419, 10:53
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Published in USA 
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by
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by Ansen
Hello! Time for this week's update on my congressional voting record!
I normally like to list out each item I voted for individually so that my votes are as clear as possible, but this week there were LOTS of proposals, and many of them were linked to each other. As such, I'm going to group them into several categories, so I don't just end up repeating myself over and over again. If you have any questions on how I voted or why, feel free to ask - I want to be as transparent as possible.
The big debate recently concerning congress has been the new Comprehensive Tax Policy Act (CTPA). There has been a lot of debate in both Congress and in the media at-large as to whether this was a good idea. Again, for the sake of transparency, I have written out my thoughts on the CTPA at the bottom of this article.
Tax change: Food, Grain, House Wood
CTPA Proposals - standardization of tax policy in the eUS
My Vote: Yes to All
Explanation: See the bottom of this article for my thoughts on the CTPA.
Outcome: So far, all have been accepted (more to be proposed).
Donate to US Federal Reserve
Transfer foreign currency from US National Accounts to the Federal Reserve
My Vote: Yes to All
Explanation: President Justinious informed the congress that we have built up a decent amount of foreign currency in the national accounts from import taxes. It was his desire to transfer that money to the Federal Reserve to grow the amount of gold in our treasury. This was a simple administrative move that required approval from the Congress. (NOTE: this was spread out over multiple proposals - I have voted "yes" to each of them.)
Outcome: All Accepted
New Citizen Message
Proposed by President Justinious (view message here).
My Vote: Yes
Explanation: The language in the New Citizen Message needed to be updated to reflect the fact that we have a new President.
Outcome: Accepted
Buy Constructions
Do you agree that USA should buy a defense system of quality 3 from Steely Glint company at the price of 11500 USD for Washington?
My Vote: Yes
Explanation: As I have previously stated in all of my congressional updates, I continue to be a strong supporter of strengthening our Defense System/Hospital infrastructure.
Outcome: Accepted
Mutual Protection Pacts
The President of Sweden and President of Canada proposed a mutual protection pact with USA.
My Vote: Yes to Both
Explanation: I am in favor of as many MPP's as possible, within reason. The more MPP's, the better the chance that US citizens will have the opportunity to fight in wars. These wars do not put the US in danger, and they present a great opportunity for US citizens. With wars available, citizens can easily keep their wellness at 100 (through the use of hospitals), and earn significantly more xp per day. In my opinion, the 30 gold the MPP's cost is well worth it (in most situations).
My Thoughts on the CTPA
I know this article is already quite long, but I wanted to let everyone know my thoughts on one of the biggest issues in America right now - the Comprehensive Tax Policy Act. Basically, this act standardizes taxes by setting income taxes at 10% (across the board), puts import tax at 15% (in most industries), and puts VAT at 5% (in most industries). There is a sharp divide over this issue.Moishe has written a couple of articles against the act while Ananias has written one defending it.
As I stated above, I am in favor of the CTPA. The 10% income tax seems to be the one debated on most sharply. That number was arrived at by President Justinious, e
😜resident Benn Dover, and by Congress. A big reason for the higher taxes is to remove some of the USD from the market, therefore increasing its value. The dollar had been slipping, and Justinious has made it a priority of his Presidency to rectify that situation. Additionally, 10% is not an outrageous tax percentage. It really won't impact the average citizen's bottom line that much. And I'm not saying that as some rich congressman - I've only been playing for a month and a half - I'm not real rich.
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Others are upset with the lowering of import taxes. I don't think this will flood our market with foreign companies. They must spend 20 gold on an import license, pay the 15%, and still be able to pull a profit. That's difficult to do.
Lastly, I'm pleased that Justinious initiated the creation of a balance sheet for the US government. Careful tracking of the income and expenditures of the government and feedback from GM's in various industries should allow the Congress to make changes to the tax policy as necessary. But first, we need to finish the CTPA proposals, and sit tight for a couple weeks. In the past, tax changes have been made so rapidly that it is extremely difficult to tell how effective they have been.
Feel free to comment or PM me with questions or concerns!
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Comments
Old and established companies can afford the license fees and what not... those are the ones that HURT the USA Economy!
@Zagarius: Just buy eAmerican. Advertise regularly and try the best possible to enforce it, no? Educate.
..And besides, that would only make up a percentage of companies overseas. I'm sure it would be small if everyone practiced buying from national vendors instead international.
Remember, correct me if I'm wrong.
I'll say the same thing to you that I say to everyone, an across the board tax is inherently unfair because not all industries have the same production rates for the natural resources they use. This is putting come areas at a huge disadvantage while also allowing foreign companies to take business away from American companies in areas like food and grain, which we are more than capable of making here in the US.
@ Neil
I appreciate your comments. I've read your statement about an across the board tax not being fair in several different places, and I'm wondering if you could be more specific? I understand what you're saying, but in reviewing the different industries, I don't really see any of the proposals we've made at this point that seem to be unfairly punishing an industry. I'd love to hear you talk about this in more detail.
As for foreign companies taking away business from Americans - I really don't think you're going to see that. You note that we are more than capable of producing food and grain in the US, which I agree with. I also think that is the exact reason that foreign companies won't really enter those markets. Why would you pay 20 gold to export to a country that already has more than enough of the product you're trying to sell?