pressa de chegar: outubro 2010

Vinick: Some African tax rates are the highest in the world. In Tanzania, the 30% rate kicks in at $475 of income plus this 30% value added that they put onto everything. Those high tax rates have made it impossible build capital in those countries. So, as a result, nothing gets built; not roads, not factories, not anything. Poor African countries have the lowest wage earners in the world, but a company like Nike, for instance, can't put a factory in there because of those oppressive tax rates. Taxes have killed any possibility of economic development. They've killed any hope of those countries helping themselves. And the result is they become completely dependant on charities, on loans. You know... here's the worst part: you know why those tax rates are so high? Because of us. Because they have to prove to us that they can raise enough money to pay back their loans. But taxes can't raise any money if they kill the economy. So, it turns out that the tragic, unattended consequence of our good intentions toward Africa - our kindness is that we have forced those countries to lock themselves into an economic depression. If we don't urge those countries to lower their tax rates, they will never grow their economies. People will live lifetimes of unemployment. Disease will be rampant. Poverty will be permanent. Children will be hungry. And our charity will never be enough. Never.

Vinick vs Santos debate
THE WEST WING
season 7 "THE DEBATE"
WRITTEN BY LAWRENCE O'DONNELL, JR.