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Want To Know How Not To Encourage Innovation? Double Taxes On Technology
from the welcome-to-argentina dept
Last week, VentureBeat wrote about how politicians in Argentina, including the country's president, were pushing a plan to nearly double taxes on all tech products not made in the province of Tierra del Fuego. As the article notes, it's not clear why Tierra del Fuego gets this special benefit, but the whole idea is one that will massively harm innovation and economic growth in the country. Raising most taxes, in general, when the economy is sour is generally a bad idea (there are some exceptions), but doing it on the very tools that increase productivity and economic growth in every other industry? Not only do you harm the tech industry, but you harm pretty much every other industry that uses technology to innovate and increase productivity.
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There is also the issue of import substitution vs export promotion. You want to encourage your own firms to produce better products, taxing the competition does not do this.
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The exception in Tierra del Fuego makes sense, as Tierra del Fuego is generally free from taxes, and it's proposed as a production center for technology. The fact is we (argentinians) have almost no indigenous technology factories, and that's why it doesn't make sense. If we did have technology factories, I'll be absolutely pro taxes on *imported* technology goods. As is, the whole plan makes no sense. And as has been pointed elsewhere, it's a measure that affects the poor more than the rich, preventing them access to technology, already very expensive in Argentina because of the exchange rate with the dollar.
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Re:
Control of information equates to solidified power. Limiting technology to the few does exactly that; what else can you expect under a dictatorship.
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R&D Tax Credit?
Quite often governments also offer tax credits against companies’ R&D expenses. For example, at one time Australia was offering a 150% credit. Is that sort of thing being done here?
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There is a new secretary dedicated to R&D that gives promotional credits (no tax exemptions, though) to new technology companies, if they can prove they have an innovation to develop and are willing to develop it. I don't think that justifies the tax, as companies will probably not be as affected as individuals.
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Ridiculous
I thought Obama was supposed to be the modern President. Why is he trying to tax technological innovation? That is so ridiculous. Although he is better than Bush, there are alot of things I am surprised at about Obama. I guess the democrat side of him wants to raise taxes so bad that he doesnt care of the consequences.
Jack
Registry Cleaner Tech Support
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Re: Ridiculous
They're not talking about Obama...it's Argentina.
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Obama isn't the president of Argentina... mMybe you should read the single paragraph blog post. That can't be too much to ask can it?
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"I thought Obama was supposed to be the modern President. Why is he trying to tax technological innovation?"
You are a fucking idiot.
Reading the first line in a story is key. Argentina. Please, never post anything ever again.
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Hopefully the politicians in Argentina at what's happening in California, which is allegedly the world's seventh-largest economy. Onerous local and state sales tax increases have turned technology buyers into tax cheats who are buying online from out-of-state vendors. The government of Argentina will live to regret the decision to slap on a 'technology tax,' because of the unintended consequences of an educated and pissed off middle-class who will find a way to avoid paying the taxes entirely, just like the consumers in California have done.
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Re: duh hit the send button too quick
Hopefully the politicians in Argentina will take a look at what's happening in California, which is allegedly the world's seventh-largest economy. Onerous local and state sales tax increases have turned technology buyers into tax cheats who are buying online from out-of-state vendors. The government of Argentina will live to regret the decision to slap on a 'technology tax,' because of the unintended consequences of an educated and pissed off middle-class who will find a way to avoid paying the taxes entirely, just like the consumers in California have done.
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"... what else can you expect under a dictatorship". I don't really know what country you're thinking off. Argentina is a democracy. Not Cuba or Venezuela.
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fuck them
who cares
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