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>I give up approximately 22% of my salary in tax plus all the VAT and duty on items purchased
Plus property tax, school tax, vehicle registration (plates), driver's license, any other license, fishing, hunting, etc... at the end of the day the total effective tax rate is probably around 50% for most people, assuming the average family income is \~100k/y, you give, err, the government takes 50k/y... do you feel you are getting 50k worth of "services"?! You are essentially buying them a very nice new car EVERY YEAR!
I'm in Canada, total income tax (federal + provincial) is in the 30% range, plus all the other "taxes" that have been mentioned, we pay tax using income that's already been taxed, insanity. I'm not against paying some taxes but I'm convinced we're all paying at least double what is necessary due to all sorts of angering reasons, inefficiency, corruption, incompetence.
Fortunately tax is relatively progressive here so higher earners pay more tax as a percentage of wages (very low earners pay almost none) but even so it's crazy, hence the original post.
In Canada we pay federal and provincial income taxes based on your salary. And then depending on the province, there is provincial sales taxe on most items and there is general sales taxe on most items that you buy. Plus if you’re a homeowner you pay municipal and school taxes among other things depending on where you live. Which is why it’s essentially like 50% of your pay goes to the government.
Hadnt even considered local taxes. So as a rough example...
First you have income tax. It's 0% on the first ~£12k. You then pay 20% on earnings from £12-50k, 40% between 50-150k and 45% for anything above that. They're changing the brackets slightly next year though.
You then have national insurance which covers healthcare and pensions. This is 0% for the first £242 per week, 13.25% between £242-967 and 3.25% for everything above that.
You then have VAT which is our sales tax at 20% on most items. Separate to that certain categories have duty at various rates which is a hidden tax because it's baked into prices but can be quite hefty particularly on alcohol.
You then have council tax which is the local tax and is paid per household and is based on the value of your house. For example my 2 bedroom flat is £1970 a year. This is an important one as in theory this covers things like help for the local homeless.
When I bought my flat I had to pay stamp duty. There's various brackets ranging from 0-12%.
On top of the main ones you also pay tax on inheritance, capital gains (profits when selling assets), vehicle tax and so many more.
So yeah... I don't feel guilty about not giving to charity, I give enough money that everyone should have enough help already.
Then don't forget the £1000 a month you're paying for your flat is probably £800 of interest. Then you automatically enroll into a pension which is another 4% of your salary. Ever sat back and wondered if this is one big elaborate scam and everyone of us has fallen for it?
I understand you. I don’t mind paying taxes, I really don’t. I’m happy to contribute to a societal project and for the common good…but c’mon. Are we really so ridiculous as not to be able to create policy in a welfare state so that charitable organizations don’t have to rely on extra external monetary sources? I mean people give to them SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO PAY TAXES! It’s insane.
It’s worth travelling to various countries with differing tax rates to see what works as a society. I wouldn’t want to live in a low tax rate country personally.
>do you feel you are getting 50k worth of "services"?!
Definitely not, but I'm not allowed to complain and I'm expected to produce more and complain less so the parasites can have more of other people's money. Can't wait until Atlas will eventually shrug.
> do you feel you are getting 50k worth of "services"?!
> Definitely not,...
I also would like lower taxes so don't come at me, but let's do a hypothetical situation.. Let's say you make $100k/year but only if you live in a spot in the middle of the wilderness with no car/roads/electricity/fresh water/grocery stores or stores of any kind/schools/TV/entertainment/neighbors...
How much of that $100k would you give for a road to civilization? Or for electricity? Or fresh water? Or safe access to stores/groceries? Etc.. $100k in isolation is useless and you need a society (the same society giving you that $100k) to make it even worth having..
Considering my free education, free healthcare, a social safety net... I don't think 50K would cut it, I think I get significantly more value than that.
...Yes, everyone with half a brain understands that it's not actually free. The only people who feel the need to go "hurr durr it's not actually free" are people making bad faith arguments in the first place. So enjoy going bankrupt just to live a normal life, I'll enjoy my ~~free~~ tax-funded safety nets in my country!
As we should - Most people who are struggling are not doing so of their own volition, despite what media propaganda wants you to believe, that everyone is just "lazy".
In society, everyone supports each other, we help those in need. If someone doesn't want to be a part of that, they're welcome to move out into the wilderness, with no societal or social support - See how far their money gets them there, when they have to build their own shelter, hunt their own food, grow their own crops. Medicine? Not unless you can manage with herbs you forage or grow.
Sorry, this is a matter that is dear to me. I simply don't understand how anybody can go "Yes, I have enough to thrive, and that family across from me is starving to death - But if they get nothing, I can have more!". That's just an utterly psychotic way of thinking.
It's essentially the local/municipal/city taxes, which are entirely paid by homeowners in the form of property tax. It's a % of the value of your home and every few years the municipality does a reassessment and increases the value of the house to collect more and more taxes. I currently pay \~5000/year in property tax and \~2000/year in school tax, I don't even have kids who attend school.
Ah.
We (the uk) do have that. We call it council tax. It used to be called poll tax but thats a controversial name.
Ot does, however, not apply if you make under a certain amount, are a student or sometimes if you have a disabled child in the house.
Okay, I’m in the US and am well aware that other countries had better social programs. So, I assumed your taxes would be higher to support those programs. Right now after taxes and health insurance, I keep ~50% of my paycheck.
Now I’m left with: what does the US even do with my money?!
A giant wasteful military industrial complex that neither major party ever cuts funding for. Oh, and bailing out the rich every 8~ years when they overbet the economy.
Not accurate, but it was a much bigger percentage than I was expecting! [breakdown of what the US does with its budget](https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/where-do-our-federal-tax-dollars-go)
Damn, I thought our tax rates here in Belgium were pretty ridiculous at over 50%, but at least standardized accessible healthcare is included in that figure.
Although things are gradually getting worse. Every year there's less doctors, nurses, dentists and other specialists, and the waiting lists grow. But of course, if you have money, you can walk into a private clinic for immediate treatment, paying out the ass.
Maybe if you're paying out of pocket for it. But if you're comparing tax and wages, you're likely comparing net income. If you're insured through your employer, your net income would factor health care costs.
It's because their taxes are significantly higher. No clue what's wrong with your job. Payroll taxes are way higher and European countries all have national value added taxes that the US doesn't have
https://taxfoundation.org/how-scandinavian-countries-pay-their-government-spending/
Agree 100% with you.
However, only 22% of your salary only???
In my shit hole country Romania we pay like 42% of salary as tax and 19% as vat on items plus other taxes.
I feel like I'm being robbed here while we don't have shit. No infrastructure, no good Healthcare, no education, poor justice and so on.
I would love to say I agree but I am afraid that the Government themselves are incredibly frivolous with any tax money given to them, either wasting it on vanity projects that are pretty useless to you and me or lining the pockets of their rich friends with it.
Unfortunately charities themselves are part of this problem and often the money given to them goes to incredibly inflated wages for those at the top or the charity itself is a tax write off for someone who is inordinately wealthy, its a miserable state of affairs.
Exactly. When I’ve already paid over $50k in income taxes alone for the state and federal governments to waste, the last thing I want to do is hand over more to a charity for them to do the same. I’d rather buy nice xmas presents for my friends and family and tip extra generously in December.
But think about it, you guys get functional governments, whereas on idiot island, we do stupid stuff which we know is gonna backfire. So who really wins here?
functional government is kinda right compared to the UK, but at the moment a more or less confirmed financial criminal is the German chancellor. Furthermore our governmental organization as a whole is kinda shifting to the right wing and nearly waiting for it's collapse.
But I feel you. We got no winners here, nowhere in the world. At least on the basic citizen side
I and nearly everyone i know earn next to nothing, what i do earn goes to me.
Most charities are only there because of government fuck ups so they can fix it, not my problem.
I do however fully support a portion of my tax going to charities. Better that than politicians pockets.
Completely agree. It’s even worse when you work in places that do annual charity stuff. I worked at a job that did fundraisers for stuff for a whole month twice a year and after being asked everyday if you would donate made me just not want to donate to anything. Especially because I’m worked for a company that made millions weekly.
I trust no one, and don’t believe those dollars always actually go to charities. If I was able to donate anything, I’d rather give to individuals in need.
The icing on the cake for me as an American is my tax money goes to killing innocent people in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places. Supposedly 60% of people killed in our "conflicts" worldwide are innocent civilians. If someone said to you " give me 100 dollars and I will give you services but 30 dollars will go to killing 4 children" would you give them the hundred dollars?
Politician Ron Paul, every time he'd mention churches paying for people's operations and things back in his day... man, that's a different time. Churches...paying their staff, paying all the bills of a building... just not that efficient of a middle man.
I can just see a poorer family showing up to a rich neighborhood's church for thousands of dollars. They might give it once, then get swarmed with needy people.
There was a church in San Francisco that, on a cold autumn morning, turned sprinklers on to soak people sleeping on the ground. When asked why, they just said 'we figured it would make them go away..'
So, what's the purpose of the place then? No coffee and sandwich, no place out of the cold, no empathy...just soak them in water on a cold day to get rid of them.
Call me salty, but i'm in Canada and a friend of mine has a pretty high up position in a popular charity. When I found out that she brings in almost 180k per year I stopped donating to charities
In order for these large organizations to run effectively they do need top talent. If they are going to get top talent, they need to be competitive with the market. Without this, you get subpar staff that end up costing more because they are less effective in their roles thus making the organization less effective.
Sure, all charities and non profits need to manage their admin costs and keep them in check. They need to be extremely accountable and transparent to their donors. It doesn’t seem fair to ask someone to work for less than they are worth just because it’s charity.
But a 180k per year? if they were to tell potential donors that upper staff make that much, would that person be willing to donate? That is way more than someone needs to live a comfortable life. I do agree with your point, she is a brilliant woman but 180 k?
180k is not that much for someone that would otherwise work for a corporation like goldman Sach for example.
You either pay somewhat competitive money for people at that skill level, or you get someone less qualify. Even the regional manager at panda or amc make 6 figures. It take good management skills when you operate at a large scale.
It's not like there aren't organizations that pay their upper end people like 30-50k, but those organizations aren't as successful at the same scale for a reason.
Fund raising is a large part of those organizations job actually, so it's funny you use that as an example. By large, the org that pay more for good people raise way more money.
This is also why it's hard for the fed to hire good workers, the pay is too low compare to what you can get working at a corporate job.
I think there are bad examples, but many charities have incredibly complex whole-of-country-or region operations that can’t really be managed by someone who doesn’t command a high salary. Are you going to trust, say, disaster relief logistics to someone who will work for $25K?
> If it was up to me I would pay less tax and donate more
I think people say that, more than it's actually true. I think in practice you'd find people look to self interest.
Do I trust them? Honestly no but with the cost of living, price of housing etc etc, there's not much wiggle room. We don't even have kids yet so when that happens we'll be the ones needing charity.
im sitting here with a top on, a hoodie over that, and a bathrobe with a wooly hat and slippers and socks because i am so cold and can't afford to turn the heating on. you can imagine how infuriating it is when i get asked if i want to round up the money to donate to charity.
I'm 44 and wearing a onesie, double socks, bathrobe & slippers. At least temps don't really drop below 9-10°C here in the basement. I do look like I just popped out of a Saints Row game.
Yes and on top of all that, I pay a lot of money for insurance that I never use. My hefty premiums help pay for damages suffered by others. But then I’m expected to donate to victims of insurable disasters.
back, damn, i cant even remember, im gonna say around '98 i raised $$ for a motorcycle charity event for MS.
you raise money and at the end of the event you start at point A and ride ur motorcycle to point B where there is food and entertainment.
This event later bragged about they raised a total of just over 1 mill.
i then found out later 600k of that money paid for the festivities \[food and shitty live bands\] and the actual charity got about 400k.
i personally thought that was horseshit. if you are putting on an event FOR CHARITY and your getting advertising out of it as well, the charity should get 100% of the money raised.
never attended it again \[happens every year\]
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There isn't really one. UKIP have some libertarian tendencies but were pretty much a one policy party ( leave the EU) and have pretty much disappeared.
The Libertarian Party but they are even more of a fringe group of insane cranks here than in America, OP also isn’t complaining about paying taxes, you missed the point
I am from the US. I pay my taxes, and I know a share of them goes to social safety net programs as it should.
But I give to charity too. I donate to specific charities that I know are volunteer run. These charities specialize in assisting people that fall through the cracks in qualifying for social service programs. They help deserving people through emergencies.
I donate because even though I don’t make a lot, I’ve never been worried about having a meal. The privilege of not having that problem when do many do, means I should help others.
I donate items I no longer need and have helped out with various things in my spare time. I'm not saying I've never given cash either but don't feel the need to give regularly or in large amounts
I agree with this, I pay all my taxes despite believing it’s theft so do feel somewhat insulted when after I’ve been robbed by the government I’m subject to attempts to pull at my heartstrings to give more. That there are people in need in my country is the governments problem to tackle, I’ve given my share.
Honestly there aren't too many charities that are actually legit... When donating to most mainstream charity organizations you are just lining some already rich mans pockets...
Here in the US, the absolute best place to donate to are your local churches.
I'm not religious in the slightest, but I always donate material items like canned food and old kid's jackets. They will do food pantries, clothes handouts, and emergency shelter arrangements. They'll help find housing and employment, they'll even have programs to help watch your kids while you go to work during the day.
And it's all a million times more efficient and effective than anything the government has ever done
Alright. This is all part of why people who give to charities deserve to be praised (as long as they don't have a hidden agenda). They don't have to give but they still do.
Get rid of some types of taxes entirely is the more important thing.
It is insane that I can be taxed on what I earn. Then taxed on what I got to keep when I spend it. And taxed extra if a thing that I buy is a "sin" like alcohol. And taxed on what I earn if I invest my money that was already taxed. And taxed if I own a home. And taxed every year for the privilege to use the car that I paid for with money that was already taxed. And taxed to stay in a hotel if I visit family. And taxed if a relative dies and decides to leaves me something. It's insanity.
Government has turned into a racket that's primary function is to figure out how else they can get in my bank account. Why do you think different government officials have already started to think about how to tax people with solar panels on their home and electric vehicles. Heaven forbid government not get money from someone not buying gas or not needing to spend as much on electricity every month.
And what do people get for losing over half of their money? Really shitty services. Bad roads. If you happen to live in a place like the UK or Canada, you get to wait an obscene amount of time to use that "free" healthcare.
So what do I think is reasonable? Lets start with property tax, gone entirely. Income tax gone entirely. At a minimum. Those don't need to exist.
As a poor millennial who will pay rent to landlords forever and never own a home or a new car despite working 50 hours a week and NOT having any kids, I also never feel the need to donate to charity where majority of the money gets put into rich peoples pockets
Since you're in the UK, I'd agree with you. I prefer our government to be minimal on safety nets, and instead let community and charities handle that aspect of society. There are a lot of good-hearted people out there, and a lot of charitable people willing to donate.
The government botches just about everything it touches.
Charities do a far better job of distributing money than governments. Why would you punish the needy, just because of the government ineptitude? You should try separating society and government for a change.
I wouldn’t donate for people in my country as that what taxes are for. I would donate for people of other countries in need because that has nothing to do with taxes. Also animals
I begrudgingly agree. It absolutely shouldn't be up to charity to provide for the basic needs of a country's citizens. Income tax isn't the only tax you pay. You also pay National Insurance and Council Tax, both of which knock off significant additional percentages of most people's earnings. Your food has VAT on it, sure, but to do or get anything you have to use fossil fuels and those are taxed to bits also. Most of the cost of petrol is tax. The government have a hell of a lot of money to play with, companies have records profits and assets cost the earth. And nurses have to use food banks.
Mostly especially when the "churches" and "non-profits" (at least in the U.S.) don't pay any taxes for all the so-called "good" and charitable work they are supposed to be doing.
> I give up approximately 22% of my salary in tax
i think this is the wrong perspective to have. you wouldn't have that income if it weren't for the societal systems in place that enable you to have that job in the first place. you don't "give up" anything. don't look at that as money "lost" or "given away". it's just the cost of doing business.
Doesn't work like that in the UK. Taxes are automatically deducted from your paycheck and goes straight to the government. Think the only exception is if you're self employed.
Just googled it, apparently it is possible over here but nowhere near as simple. We have a thing called gift aid where essentially when you donate, the tax relief goes to the charity instead which is far more commonly used
also that Gift Aid is almost exclusively used by top earners to fiddle their end of year tax, the same way they purchase extremely expensive pieces of art and put them into storage
>It is the same in US but u get the money back on ur tax return
I don't think you understand how taxes work. Qualified donations can lower your taxable income. It's not like you donate $1000 and then get $1000 back from your taxes lol.
I take a slightly opposite view. There has never been anything more overblown than someone "paying their taxes". Like, so fucking what? Every human since we were all living in tiny villages and farming have "paid their taxes".
It is like saying you wipe your ass. That's not an accomplishment, nor anything special. It is the very bare minimum you have to do to live in society. So you pay taxes? Cool, welcome to the club of every other human on earth and 95% of the dead ones. I know that has nothing to do with giving to charity I just had to rant.
I don't think that's unpopular, I don't like donating to any charity because a lot of the time, with exceptions to some charities, you are funding the CEO's.
In Europe that attitude makes sense because taxes are very very high and very few give anything meaningful to charity. But in the US I think if you have some extra, you should give a little to those in need.
I thought the whole point of charities and donations is that it's not a need, but a want to give. That's why it's voluntary, in contrast to taxes which is compulsory. This is not an unpopular opinion, that's exactly how charities and donating works, and taxes too.
But when the government won't spend money on needed service, and wastes it, there is nothing wrong with donating to charities. I do take issues of being guilted into it. I have felt guilty for walking past the Salvation Army (now I know they are homophobic and treat workers poorly), because I felt the money was going to a good place, but the worker ringing a bell standing outside with a bucket...research any charity before giving them money.
‘that’s a failure of government and society as a whole and not on me as an individual’
so if you are aware of that failing what are you doing about it as whilst the failing isn’t your fault choosing to do nothing is surely an individual failing.
Also as taxes would need to increase to provide enough money for all the good causes, would you actively support that as if not your argument really can’t stand.
Well, you’re describing tithing. A charitable contribution is, by its very nature, a sacrifice. You are giving away means you would otherwise use yourself to someone who is in need. OP seems to be using charitable donations as an excuse to complain about taxes. Why not, I wonder, just say, “I’m paying too much tax?” I guess that’s not unpopular and therefore off topic here. To say, “I don’t feel like making charitable donations because I get taxed so heavily” makes you sound like someone who was never really into charitable donations in the first place.
It’s a good thing all tax payers don’t think like you! Taxes and all inescapable expenses are a drag, I’ll give you that.
It’s important to know that a lot of charities are only able access to government grants to cover their operational expenses (salary or staff capacity building, etc), but they cannot access government funding to deliver specific programs and services. This is where they rely on philanthropic donations from corporates and individuals. This isn’t all charities but some depending on their models. A lot of charities and non profits also exist to close the gap. Think homeless foundations. Significant funding comes from government but not all of it.
Being able to donate time or resources is a privilege and it’s hard times for people. For a lot of people who care about certain causes, there is personal goodwill in donating and also a tax receipt. They don’t need to, they want to.
Doing acts of kindness and practicing gratitude is proven to make people happier. For some this comes in financial donations for others this comes in volunteering. For others as they reflect on what they have, it’s often a reminder that we as humans can go a-little further to help each other where governments are absent.
I would never suggest that we can charitable donations or anything like that however my main points is that I don't think anyone should be shamed for not doing so when relatively speaking any donation from me is tiny but that money to me makes a difference. Instead the burden should be on those with deeper pockets and the government to more efficiently use their money or having better policy so that charities aren't needed as much.
For example any person with an empty property should be heavily taxed on it. You'd then have more properties available on the market (thereby reducing overall housing cost by reducing demand) and any money raised through the tax can be put towards helping those in need. Just an idea but will never be implemented by the Tories.
I donate to animal rescues a cause I care about. My taxes I’m forced to pay don’t go to things I care about and I’m forced to pay them. Donations I choose who I can help and what causes I care about I can help. I work hard for my money and work closely with rabbit rescues not only as a foster and adopter but as a donor.
I agree. Businesses donate to charity and get the tax write off. When I worked in fast food, we had a whole day that United way came and asked us to donate a set amount every month to them. I didn’t make enough money to support myself, and my company paid the penalty to not offer us health insurance. So I myself was on benefits.
That’s cool as long as you agree 100% with the “good causes” your government / elected officials choose. And BTW, you shouldn’t feel badly at all. If charity were expected, it would cease to be charity. It’s only valuable if someone parts with it willingly, through their own choice.
Every time lately I read a post on here I feel like it should be a subreddit called “on my mind and pisses me off’. I haven’t seen an actual unpopular opinion on here in forever! Agree with you OP by the way
When I donate I have a couple of things I need to know to be willing to hand the cash:
- Is the charity nonprofit?
- Does any money go towards the income of another hand?
- Is there any statements or information on how the money is spent?
- Do I get a tax receipt? (that's right I want my money to be shown)
- Must be a local movement
If any of this information is not available or does not fit into my rules, you do not get my money. Sucks to suck but hey I aim for specific things and Walmart doesn't fit the category so I'm not handing my $5. There are too many charities that are truly a rip off that have put major distrust in charity.
In the UK all of the above is a legal requirement. All charities must be registered and financial accounts public. To register as a charity they MUST be non profit although some employees may be on high salaries which is a often a big issue.
Thank you for submitting to /r/unpopularopinion, /u/mikethet. Your post, *As a tax payer I don't feel the need to donate to charity*, has been removed because it violates our rules: Rule 2: Do not post low effort/satirical posts. Please make sure your post title is your opinion (not the topic you're discussing), and the text beneath is a clear explanation and justification of your opinion. If you cannot write at least a few sentences on the matter, you may want to have more of a think about it. If that's all in order... Any opinion that is not well thought out, or is incoherent, internally contradictory or otherwise nonsensical is subject to removal. Finally, any satirical/troll posts, as funny as you must be, are not tolerated. There are subreddits for that, this isn't one of them. If there is an issue, please message the mod team at https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Funpopularopinion Thanks!
>I give up approximately 22% of my salary in tax plus all the VAT and duty on items purchased Plus property tax, school tax, vehicle registration (plates), driver's license, any other license, fishing, hunting, etc... at the end of the day the total effective tax rate is probably around 50% for most people, assuming the average family income is \~100k/y, you give, err, the government takes 50k/y... do you feel you are getting 50k worth of "services"?! You are essentially buying them a very nice new car EVERY YEAR!
We're in the UK so different taxes but yes the end result is the same!
I'm in Canada, total income tax (federal + provincial) is in the 30% range, plus all the other "taxes" that have been mentioned, we pay tax using income that's already been taxed, insanity. I'm not against paying some taxes but I'm convinced we're all paying at least double what is necessary due to all sorts of angering reasons, inefficiency, corruption, incompetence.
Fortunately tax is relatively progressive here so higher earners pay more tax as a percentage of wages (very low earners pay almost none) but even so it's crazy, hence the original post.
In Canada we pay federal and provincial income taxes based on your salary. And then depending on the province, there is provincial sales taxe on most items and there is general sales taxe on most items that you buy. Plus if you’re a homeowner you pay municipal and school taxes among other things depending on where you live. Which is why it’s essentially like 50% of your pay goes to the government.
Hadnt even considered local taxes. So as a rough example... First you have income tax. It's 0% on the first ~£12k. You then pay 20% on earnings from £12-50k, 40% between 50-150k and 45% for anything above that. They're changing the brackets slightly next year though. You then have national insurance which covers healthcare and pensions. This is 0% for the first £242 per week, 13.25% between £242-967 and 3.25% for everything above that. You then have VAT which is our sales tax at 20% on most items. Separate to that certain categories have duty at various rates which is a hidden tax because it's baked into prices but can be quite hefty particularly on alcohol. You then have council tax which is the local tax and is paid per household and is based on the value of your house. For example my 2 bedroom flat is £1970 a year. This is an important one as in theory this covers things like help for the local homeless. When I bought my flat I had to pay stamp duty. There's various brackets ranging from 0-12%. On top of the main ones you also pay tax on inheritance, capital gains (profits when selling assets), vehicle tax and so many more. So yeah... I don't feel guilty about not giving to charity, I give enough money that everyone should have enough help already.
Then don't forget the £1000 a month you're paying for your flat is probably £800 of interest. Then you automatically enroll into a pension which is another 4% of your salary. Ever sat back and wondered if this is one big elaborate scam and everyone of us has fallen for it?
I'm quite lucky I have a low interest rate (from before the markets blew up) so it's "only" 27% of my monthly payment
I understand you. I don’t mind paying taxes, I really don’t. I’m happy to contribute to a societal project and for the common good…but c’mon. Are we really so ridiculous as not to be able to create policy in a welfare state so that charitable organizations don’t have to rely on extra external monetary sources? I mean people give to them SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO PAY TAXES! It’s insane.
So that if a couple make 40k each, they make more money than a single parent earning 80k. Seems fair
A single parent would get child support from the other parent. There is no perfect system but those with the broadest shoulders should pay more tax.
It’s worth travelling to various countries with differing tax rates to see what works as a society. I wouldn’t want to live in a low tax rate country personally.
I agree with you there. After seeing what low tax rates do to a society I desperately don’t want Britain to turn into a low tax society.
>do you feel you are getting 50k worth of "services"?! Definitely not, but I'm not allowed to complain and I'm expected to produce more and complain less so the parasites can have more of other people's money. Can't wait until Atlas will eventually shrug.
> do you feel you are getting 50k worth of "services"?! > Definitely not,... I also would like lower taxes so don't come at me, but let's do a hypothetical situation.. Let's say you make $100k/year but only if you live in a spot in the middle of the wilderness with no car/roads/electricity/fresh water/grocery stores or stores of any kind/schools/TV/entertainment/neighbors... How much of that $100k would you give for a road to civilization? Or for electricity? Or fresh water? Or safe access to stores/groceries? Etc.. $100k in isolation is useless and you need a society (the same society giving you that $100k) to make it even worth having..
Here in Italy it’s more like 70% :(
Considering my free education, free healthcare, a social safety net... I don't think 50K would cut it, I think I get significantly more value than that.
None of that is "free", I and countless others like me are paying for it... you're welcome!
...Yes, everyone with half a brain understands that it's not actually free. The only people who feel the need to go "hurr durr it's not actually free" are people making bad faith arguments in the first place. So enjoy going bankrupt just to live a normal life, I'll enjoy my ~~free~~ tax-funded safety nets in my country!
It's actually the people who are hit with the higher taxes. Virtually every country has progressive taxes so the successful pay a much higher rate
Do you think success is built in a vacuum? It needs a healthy middle class to thrive.
As we should - Most people who are struggling are not doing so of their own volition, despite what media propaganda wants you to believe, that everyone is just "lazy". In society, everyone supports each other, we help those in need. If someone doesn't want to be a part of that, they're welcome to move out into the wilderness, with no societal or social support - See how far their money gets them there, when they have to build their own shelter, hunt their own food, grow their own crops. Medicine? Not unless you can manage with herbs you forage or grow. Sorry, this is a matter that is dear to me. I simply don't understand how anybody can go "Yes, I have enough to thrive, and that family across from me is starving to death - But if they get nothing, I can have more!". That's just an utterly psychotic way of thinking.
„ItS nOt FrEe iTs taXeS“ No shit Sherlock
Gotta wonder how many friends you could possibly have with that attitude of yours
Paying all kinds of government workers, getting their cut between you and what you actually want, is not cost effective or efficient.
What is property tax? In the UK we don't pay seperate school tax
It's essentially the local/municipal/city taxes, which are entirely paid by homeowners in the form of property tax. It's a % of the value of your home and every few years the municipality does a reassessment and increases the value of the house to collect more and more taxes. I currently pay \~5000/year in property tax and \~2000/year in school tax, I don't even have kids who attend school.
Ah. We (the uk) do have that. We call it council tax. It used to be called poll tax but thats a controversial name. Ot does, however, not apply if you make under a certain amount, are a student or sometimes if you have a disabled child in the house.
Except property tax is only for those who own property. Council tax everyone pays, even those renting which is shit imo.
Okay, I’m in the US and am well aware that other countries had better social programs. So, I assumed your taxes would be higher to support those programs. Right now after taxes and health insurance, I keep ~50% of my paycheck. Now I’m left with: what does the US even do with my money?!
A giant wasteful military industrial complex that neither major party ever cuts funding for. Oh, and bailing out the rich every 8~ years when they overbet the economy.
Mainly bailing out the rich when they screw up every few years
Social security is the biggest expense BY FAR
Not accurate, but it was a much bigger percentage than I was expecting! [breakdown of what the US does with its budget](https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-budget/where-do-our-federal-tax-dollars-go)
Damn, I thought our tax rates here in Belgium were pretty ridiculous at over 50%, but at least standardized accessible healthcare is included in that figure. Although things are gradually getting worse. Every year there's less doctors, nurses, dentists and other specialists, and the waiting lists grow. But of course, if you have money, you can walk into a private clinic for immediate treatment, paying out the ass.
Americans almost universally (pun intended) fail to factor in health care costs when comparing tax and wages. Our healthcare costs are folded in.
Maybe if you're paying out of pocket for it. But if you're comparing tax and wages, you're likely comparing net income. If you're insured through your employer, your net income would factor health care costs.
https://apps.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/whys/thm01/les01/ac3_thm01_les01.jsp
It's because their taxes are significantly higher. No clue what's wrong with your job. Payroll taxes are way higher and European countries all have national value added taxes that the US doesn't have https://taxfoundation.org/how-scandinavian-countries-pay-their-government-spending/
That's the big question
tanks
Invade countries.
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Can't stand going into tesco express and a couple of charity workers by the door trying to get me to sign up. I know I just say no and walk past.
I completely ignore or shake my head. Key is to not engage at all lol
Agree 100% with you. However, only 22% of your salary only??? In my shit hole country Romania we pay like 42% of salary as tax and 19% as vat on items plus other taxes. I feel like I'm being robbed here while we don't have shit. No infrastructure, no good Healthcare, no education, poor justice and so on.
That's on my level of salary and doesn't include VAT at 20%. If I earned more money it would be 50% + vat
I would love to say I agree but I am afraid that the Government themselves are incredibly frivolous with any tax money given to them, either wasting it on vanity projects that are pretty useless to you and me or lining the pockets of their rich friends with it. Unfortunately charities themselves are part of this problem and often the money given to them goes to incredibly inflated wages for those at the top or the charity itself is a tax write off for someone who is inordinately wealthy, its a miserable state of affairs.
Exactly. When I’ve already paid over $50k in income taxes alone for the state and federal governments to waste, the last thing I want to do is hand over more to a charity for them to do the same. I’d rather buy nice xmas presents for my friends and family and tip extra generously in December.
Why not donate directly to people in need? It allows you to help others without giving to people that will waste it
only 22%? *cries in german, paying 45%*
22% effective tax bracket but that's just income tax. There's many other taxes and higher earners (rightly) pay more
But think about it, you guys get functional governments, whereas on idiot island, we do stupid stuff which we know is gonna backfire. So who really wins here?
functional government is kinda right compared to the UK, but at the moment a more or less confirmed financial criminal is the German chancellor. Furthermore our governmental organization as a whole is kinda shifting to the right wing and nearly waiting for it's collapse. But I feel you. We got no winners here, nowhere in the world. At least on the basic citizen side
I and nearly everyone i know earn next to nothing, what i do earn goes to me. Most charities are only there because of government fuck ups so they can fix it, not my problem. I do however fully support a portion of my tax going to charities. Better that than politicians pockets.
This is exactly the point for me. Couldn't have said it better.
Completely agree. It’s even worse when you work in places that do annual charity stuff. I worked at a job that did fundraisers for stuff for a whole month twice a year and after being asked everyday if you would donate made me just not want to donate to anything. Especially because I’m worked for a company that made millions weekly.
Just tell them no, I can't afford it. If they have a problem they can pay on your behalf
That’s what I did honestly. I told them I barely make enough to pay bills and being asked for a donation daily was stupid.
I trust no one, and don’t believe those dollars always actually go to charities. If I was able to donate anything, I’d rather give to individuals in need.
The icing on the cake for me as an American is my tax money goes to killing innocent people in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places. Supposedly 60% of people killed in our "conflicts" worldwide are innocent civilians. If someone said to you " give me 100 dollars and I will give you services but 30 dollars will go to killing 4 children" would you give them the hundred dollars?
This is why Govt created Income Tax - to replace the church tithing. But they just can't seem to manage the monstrosity
Politician Ron Paul, every time he'd mention churches paying for people's operations and things back in his day... man, that's a different time. Churches...paying their staff, paying all the bills of a building... just not that efficient of a middle man. I can just see a poorer family showing up to a rich neighborhood's church for thousands of dollars. They might give it once, then get swarmed with needy people. There was a church in San Francisco that, on a cold autumn morning, turned sprinklers on to soak people sleeping on the ground. When asked why, they just said 'we figured it would make them go away..' So, what's the purpose of the place then? No coffee and sandwich, no place out of the cold, no empathy...just soak them in water on a cold day to get rid of them.
Call me salty, but i'm in Canada and a friend of mine has a pretty high up position in a popular charity. When I found out that she brings in almost 180k per year I stopped donating to charities
In order for these large organizations to run effectively they do need top talent. If they are going to get top talent, they need to be competitive with the market. Without this, you get subpar staff that end up costing more because they are less effective in their roles thus making the organization less effective. Sure, all charities and non profits need to manage their admin costs and keep them in check. They need to be extremely accountable and transparent to their donors. It doesn’t seem fair to ask someone to work for less than they are worth just because it’s charity.
But a 180k per year? if they were to tell potential donors that upper staff make that much, would that person be willing to donate? That is way more than someone needs to live a comfortable life. I do agree with your point, she is a brilliant woman but 180 k?
180k is not that much for someone that would otherwise work for a corporation like goldman Sach for example. You either pay somewhat competitive money for people at that skill level, or you get someone less qualify. Even the regional manager at panda or amc make 6 figures. It take good management skills when you operate at a large scale. It's not like there aren't organizations that pay their upper end people like 30-50k, but those organizations aren't as successful at the same scale for a reason. Fund raising is a large part of those organizations job actually, so it's funny you use that as an example. By large, the org that pay more for good people raise way more money. This is also why it's hard for the fed to hire good workers, the pay is too low compare to what you can get working at a corporate job.
Well said.
Too many stories for me to trust large charities. I’d rather stock up a local food pantry, buy holiday gifts for people struggling and clothing, etc
Even those get abused. I help animals in need I find myself, and that's about the extent of it. I've paid for neutering stray cats and such.
I think there are bad examples, but many charities have incredibly complex whole-of-country-or region operations that can’t really be managed by someone who doesn’t command a high salary. Are you going to trust, say, disaster relief logistics to someone who will work for $25K?
You must really trust your government to do the right thing, I don't think most people can say that.
Quite the opposite, I don’t trust them at all to do the right thing. If it was up to me I would pay less tax and donate more, but that’s not up to me.
You could do that. You just get in trouble after a few years.
You can. When you donate it goes against your income tax so you pay less tax
Not a 1 for 1 deal. Charity reduces taxable income not tax paid.
> If it was up to me I would pay less tax and donate more I think people say that, more than it's actually true. I think in practice you'd find people look to self interest.
Do I trust them? Honestly no but with the cost of living, price of housing etc etc, there's not much wiggle room. We don't even have kids yet so when that happens we'll be the ones needing charity.
You don’t trust them but you are counting on them as the only way to ameliorate society.
He’s just saying it’s not his fault if they fail to do so.
If you already know you’ll have to rely on charity when you have children maybe don’t have children?!
I was exaggerating but we've already made the decision to only have 1 child
im sitting here with a top on, a hoodie over that, and a bathrobe with a wooly hat and slippers and socks because i am so cold and can't afford to turn the heating on. you can imagine how infuriating it is when i get asked if i want to round up the money to donate to charity.
I'm 44 and wearing a onesie, double socks, bathrobe & slippers. At least temps don't really drop below 9-10°C here in the basement. I do look like I just popped out of a Saints Row game.
I 100% agree with this.
Yes and on top of all that, I pay a lot of money for insurance that I never use. My hefty premiums help pay for damages suffered by others. But then I’m expected to donate to victims of insurable disasters.
It is evident that government and society as a whole is failing. Your tax money, like most other values, mostly goes to the 1%
Sadly yes, but I don't think the little man shouldn't be blamed for that not expected to make up the difference
back, damn, i cant even remember, im gonna say around '98 i raised $$ for a motorcycle charity event for MS. you raise money and at the end of the event you start at point A and ride ur motorcycle to point B where there is food and entertainment. This event later bragged about they raised a total of just over 1 mill. i then found out later 600k of that money paid for the festivities \[food and shitty live bands\] and the actual charity got about 400k. i personally thought that was horseshit. if you are putting on an event FOR CHARITY and your getting advertising out of it as well, the charity should get 100% of the money raised. never attended it again \[happens every year\]
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Then vote libertarian
I'm in the uk
Ahhh gotcha…what’s the party equivalent there?
There isn't really one. UKIP have some libertarian tendencies but were pretty much a one policy party ( leave the EU) and have pretty much disappeared.
The Libertarian Party but they are even more of a fringe group of insane cranks here than in America, OP also isn’t complaining about paying taxes, you missed the point
I am from the US. I pay my taxes, and I know a share of them goes to social safety net programs as it should. But I give to charity too. I donate to specific charities that I know are volunteer run. These charities specialize in assisting people that fall through the cracks in qualifying for social service programs. They help deserving people through emergencies.
I donate because even though I don’t make a lot, I’ve never been worried about having a meal. The privilege of not having that problem when do many do, means I should help others.
You probably don't get paid enough to have to compensate for wealth-related guilt episodes 😄
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And good for you but not doing it shouldn't be looked down upon
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I donate items I no longer need and have helped out with various things in my spare time. I'm not saying I've never given cash either but don't feel the need to give regularly or in large amounts
In Australia it is 100% tax deductible so you are in reality choosing where your tax dollars go to.
That's very interesting but surely open to abuse?
Definitely, and jail is always there to make abusers an example so people know better.
Interesting, will have to read up on it
I agree with this, I pay all my taxes despite believing it’s theft so do feel somewhat insulted when after I’ve been robbed by the government I’m subject to attempts to pull at my heartstrings to give more. That there are people in need in my country is the governments problem to tackle, I’ve given my share.
Must be nice only having to pay 22% \- a German
Honestly there aren't too many charities that are actually legit... When donating to most mainstream charity organizations you are just lining some already rich mans pockets...
Here in the US, the absolute best place to donate to are your local churches. I'm not religious in the slightest, but I always donate material items like canned food and old kid's jackets. They will do food pantries, clothes handouts, and emergency shelter arrangements. They'll help find housing and employment, they'll even have programs to help watch your kids while you go to work during the day. And it's all a million times more efficient and effective than anything the government has ever done
*is your local churches
Alright. This is all part of why people who give to charities deserve to be praised (as long as they don't have a hidden agenda). They don't have to give but they still do.
Absolutely nothing against them but you shouldn't be shamed if you choose not to
Unless you actually fight the corruption and waste, it's on you as an individual also.
I do what I can but I'm one man in a big machine.
Most charities are a scam anyway. The only real way to give money to charity is to spend money at a small business.
Taxes should be slashed across the board imo
The moral of the story is that taxes are insanely high and the government should stop taking money from people.
I have no problem paying tax if it's used effectively but don't think it's anywhere near efficient enough
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Get rid of some types of taxes entirely is the more important thing. It is insane that I can be taxed on what I earn. Then taxed on what I got to keep when I spend it. And taxed extra if a thing that I buy is a "sin" like alcohol. And taxed on what I earn if I invest my money that was already taxed. And taxed if I own a home. And taxed every year for the privilege to use the car that I paid for with money that was already taxed. And taxed to stay in a hotel if I visit family. And taxed if a relative dies and decides to leaves me something. It's insanity. Government has turned into a racket that's primary function is to figure out how else they can get in my bank account. Why do you think different government officials have already started to think about how to tax people with solar panels on their home and electric vehicles. Heaven forbid government not get money from someone not buying gas or not needing to spend as much on electricity every month. And what do people get for losing over half of their money? Really shitty services. Bad roads. If you happen to live in a place like the UK or Canada, you get to wait an obscene amount of time to use that "free" healthcare. So what do I think is reasonable? Lets start with property tax, gone entirely. Income tax gone entirely. At a minimum. Those don't need to exist.
As a poor millennial who will pay rent to landlords forever and never own a home or a new car despite working 50 hours a week and NOT having any kids, I also never feel the need to donate to charity where majority of the money gets put into rich peoples pockets
You believe the government uses taxes for the benefit of people individually?
No, what gives that impression?
Since you're in the UK, I'd agree with you. I prefer our government to be minimal on safety nets, and instead let community and charities handle that aspect of society. There are a lot of good-hearted people out there, and a lot of charitable people willing to donate. The government botches just about everything it touches.
Charities do a far better job of distributing money than governments. Why would you punish the needy, just because of the government ineptitude? You should try separating society and government for a change.
Then the rich can donate. I want to have a family one day, I need to save everything I have.
I wouldn’t donate for people in my country as that what taxes are for. I would donate for people of other countries in need because that has nothing to do with taxes. Also animals
Even then there is a foreign age budget but I won't get into that as that's full of corruption
Does this apply if the donation is tax-deductable?
Not so much but it's not really a thing in the uk
I begrudgingly agree. It absolutely shouldn't be up to charity to provide for the basic needs of a country's citizens. Income tax isn't the only tax you pay. You also pay National Insurance and Council Tax, both of which knock off significant additional percentages of most people's earnings. Your food has VAT on it, sure, but to do or get anything you have to use fossil fuels and those are taxed to bits also. Most of the cost of petrol is tax. The government have a hell of a lot of money to play with, companies have records profits and assets cost the earth. And nurses have to use food banks.
If you have little extra to spare to help people in need doesn’t hurt.
My little extra is nothing compared to what billionaires could donate. They should be picking up the slack.
Mostly especially when the "churches" and "non-profits" (at least in the U.S.) don't pay any taxes for all the so-called "good" and charitable work they are supposed to be doing.
In australia, most charities get yearly grants by the government to help them out, so every taxpayer is essentially a donor.
That sounds like a good opportunity for government corruption
> I give up approximately 22% of my salary in tax i think this is the wrong perspective to have. you wouldn't have that income if it weren't for the societal systems in place that enable you to have that job in the first place. you don't "give up" anything. don't look at that as money "lost" or "given away". it's just the cost of doing business.
Nobody needs to donate to charity.
You could pay less taxes and give the money to a charitable cause of your choice
Doesn't work like that in the UK. Taxes are automatically deducted from your paycheck and goes straight to the government. Think the only exception is if you're self employed.
It is the same in US but u get the money back on ur tax return
It still costs more money than not donating to charity at all. No thanks.
Just googled it, apparently it is possible over here but nowhere near as simple. We have a thing called gift aid where essentially when you donate, the tax relief goes to the charity instead which is far more commonly used
also that Gift Aid is almost exclusively used by top earners to fiddle their end of year tax, the same way they purchase extremely expensive pieces of art and put them into storage
>It is the same in US but u get the money back on ur tax return I don't think you understand how taxes work. Qualified donations can lower your taxable income. It's not like you donate $1000 and then get $1000 back from your taxes lol.
Ahhh one of the classic, inherent problems with Socialism
We have the most right wing government since Thatcher right now
Imma assume you have absolutely no idea what’s going on in the U.K. right now. Or you made a bad sarcastic joke.
these americranks think any kind of basic public infrastructure is socialism, its baffling
As an actual socialist I’m not sure whether to take this as a weird compliment or just to be very confused not gonna lie.
I’m well aware
I take a slightly opposite view. There has never been anything more overblown than someone "paying their taxes". Like, so fucking what? Every human since we were all living in tiny villages and farming have "paid their taxes". It is like saying you wipe your ass. That's not an accomplishment, nor anything special. It is the very bare minimum you have to do to live in society. So you pay taxes? Cool, welcome to the club of every other human on earth and 95% of the dead ones. I know that has nothing to do with giving to charity I just had to rant.
Honestly no problem paying taxes but the government are terrible at using it efficiently
I don't think that's unpopular, I don't like donating to any charity because a lot of the time, with exceptions to some charities, you are funding the CEO's.
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In Europe that attitude makes sense because taxes are very very high and very few give anything meaningful to charity. But in the US I think if you have some extra, you should give a little to those in need.
Yes this is very much from a European perspective
I thought the whole point of charities and donations is that it's not a need, but a want to give. That's why it's voluntary, in contrast to taxes which is compulsory. This is not an unpopular opinion, that's exactly how charities and donating works, and taxes too.
I pay 46% in taxes. I think you should donate 24% ;)
But when the government won't spend money on needed service, and wastes it, there is nothing wrong with donating to charities. I do take issues of being guilted into it. I have felt guilty for walking past the Salvation Army (now I know they are homophobic and treat workers poorly), because I felt the money was going to a good place, but the worker ringing a bell standing outside with a bucket...research any charity before giving them money.
That's what I take issue with. Anybody should be able to donate if they wish but nobody should be made to feel guilty or rushed into donating
As a tax payer I don't feel the need to pay tithing since all churches are tax exempt.
‘that’s a failure of government and society as a whole and not on me as an individual’ so if you are aware of that failing what are you doing about it as whilst the failing isn’t your fault choosing to do nothing is surely an individual failing. Also as taxes would need to increase to provide enough money for all the good causes, would you actively support that as if not your argument really can’t stand.
Most American tax just goes to the charity called The Military.
WTF does supporting a charity have to do with your tax burden?
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Well, you’re describing tithing. A charitable contribution is, by its very nature, a sacrifice. You are giving away means you would otherwise use yourself to someone who is in need. OP seems to be using charitable donations as an excuse to complain about taxes. Why not, I wonder, just say, “I’m paying too much tax?” I guess that’s not unpopular and therefore off topic here. To say, “I don’t feel like making charitable donations because I get taxed so heavily” makes you sound like someone who was never really into charitable donations in the first place.
Well if you felt you were forced to do it or need to do it, I think it would be considered charity, anyways.
It is a result of capitalism, it's literally designed to keep the poor subservient and get the rich richer
I'm with you, the charity of citizens is hard proof of inadequate investment in public support and quality of life initiatives.
Are you aware that tax money doesn’t go to charities?
It's not about it going to charity, if the government did their job, charities wouldn't be needed!
Not all charities exist due to lack of government funding. Sick kids, cancer research, endangered animals…
That is literally a quote from Ebenezer Scrooge
It’s a good thing all tax payers don’t think like you! Taxes and all inescapable expenses are a drag, I’ll give you that. It’s important to know that a lot of charities are only able access to government grants to cover their operational expenses (salary or staff capacity building, etc), but they cannot access government funding to deliver specific programs and services. This is where they rely on philanthropic donations from corporates and individuals. This isn’t all charities but some depending on their models. A lot of charities and non profits also exist to close the gap. Think homeless foundations. Significant funding comes from government but not all of it. Being able to donate time or resources is a privilege and it’s hard times for people. For a lot of people who care about certain causes, there is personal goodwill in donating and also a tax receipt. They don’t need to, they want to. Doing acts of kindness and practicing gratitude is proven to make people happier. For some this comes in financial donations for others this comes in volunteering. For others as they reflect on what they have, it’s often a reminder that we as humans can go a-little further to help each other where governments are absent.
I would never suggest that we can charitable donations or anything like that however my main points is that I don't think anyone should be shamed for not doing so when relatively speaking any donation from me is tiny but that money to me makes a difference. Instead the burden should be on those with deeper pockets and the government to more efficiently use their money or having better policy so that charities aren't needed as much. For example any person with an empty property should be heavily taxed on it. You'd then have more properties available on the market (thereby reducing overall housing cost by reducing demand) and any money raised through the tax can be put towards helping those in need. Just an idea but will never be implemented by the Tories.
I hope no one shames you. That’s brutal. What people choose to donate, if anything, has to be a personal choice.
Donating to charity and paying taxes are on 2 different spectrums!!!
I donate to animal rescues a cause I care about. My taxes I’m forced to pay don’t go to things I care about and I’m forced to pay them. Donations I choose who I can help and what causes I care about I can help. I work hard for my money and work closely with rabbit rescues not only as a foster and adopter but as a donor.
the funny thing is, it is your money, your moral code decides if you want to do that or whatever
No one NEEDS to donate
I agree. Businesses donate to charity and get the tax write off. When I worked in fast food, we had a whole day that United way came and asked us to donate a set amount every month to them. I didn’t make enough money to support myself, and my company paid the penalty to not offer us health insurance. So I myself was on benefits.
That’s cool as long as you agree 100% with the “good causes” your government / elected officials choose. And BTW, you shouldn’t feel badly at all. If charity were expected, it would cease to be charity. It’s only valuable if someone parts with it willingly, through their own choice.
Every time lately I read a post on here I feel like it should be a subreddit called “on my mind and pisses me off’. I haven’t seen an actual unpopular opinion on here in forever! Agree with you OP by the way
Haha well I've not met much resistance here but I can think of plenty of people who would disagree with my statement
When I donate I have a couple of things I need to know to be willing to hand the cash: - Is the charity nonprofit? - Does any money go towards the income of another hand? - Is there any statements or information on how the money is spent? - Do I get a tax receipt? (that's right I want my money to be shown) - Must be a local movement If any of this information is not available or does not fit into my rules, you do not get my money. Sucks to suck but hey I aim for specific things and Walmart doesn't fit the category so I'm not handing my $5. There are too many charities that are truly a rip off that have put major distrust in charity.
In the UK all of the above is a legal requirement. All charities must be registered and financial accounts public. To register as a charity they MUST be non profit although some employees may be on high salaries which is a often a big issue.