Comments on: World's most expensive apartments: only 9 in 62 paid council tax http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Mon, 20 May 2013 20:17:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Guest http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281535 Guest Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:53:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281535 Did you just say that most taxes are paid my middle class people as though that had anything to do with my point that you obstusely missed? You really put the t back in rolling, Did you just say that most taxes are paid my middle class people as though that had anything to do with my point that you obstusely missed? You really put the t back in rolling,

]]> By: acb http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281492 acb Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:19:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281492 Letting the ultra-rich not pay taxes is more symbolic than anything. Given that their income is mostly returns from stocks and bonds, the amount of council tax paid would be mostly lost in the margin of error, However, once the little people start banding together and demanding that the titans pay taxes, even acquiescing to a symbolic peppercorn sum would set a precedent that the titans are not untouchable. Governments know this, and keep it in mind when seeking the favour of the titans, who could theoretically up sticks and move to Switzerland, Dubai or some floating Galt's Gulch on the high seas, or, more simply, take a few hundred million out of petty cash and spend it on getting the more sympathetic other guy elected. Letting the ultra-rich not pay taxes is more symbolic than anything. Given that their income is mostly returns from stocks and bonds, the amount of council tax paid would be mostly lost in the margin of error, However, once the little people start banding together and demanding that the titans pay taxes, even acquiescing to a symbolic peppercorn sum would set a precedent that the titans are not untouchable. Governments know this, and keep it in mind when seeking the favour of the titans, who could theoretically up sticks and move to Switzerland, Dubai or some floating Galt’s Gulch on the high seas, or, more simply, take a few hundred million out of petty cash and spend it on getting the more sympathetic other guy elected.

]]> By: Matthew Steeples http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281277 Matthew Steeples Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:51:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281277 One Hyde Park, though I'm sure to the taste of many, caused chaos for the locals during construction and looks no better than Bowater House: http://dasteepsspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/11/taxingly-pointless-carbuncle.html One Hyde Park, though I’m sure to the taste of many, caused chaos for the locals during construction and looks no better than Bowater House: http://dasteepsspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/11/taxingly-pointless-carbuncle.html

]]> By: ashabot http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281218 ashabot Sun, 27 Nov 2011 21:57:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281218 Seems the uber rich enjoy their own elite form of socialism. Seems the uber rich enjoy their own elite form of socialism.

]]> By: Palomino http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281138 Palomino Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:41:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281138 That's not the problem. They know no one will come after them. Take a middle class family in Brighton who doesn't pay their (far lower) taxes, one time;  They get hauled off very quickly.  There's got to some kind of secret handshake or password in government, this process of not paying taxes it too flagrant & easy.  That’s not the problem. They know no one will come after them. Take a middle class family in Brighton who doesn’t pay their (far lower) taxes, one time;  They get hauled off very quickly. 

There’s got to some kind of secret handshake or password in government, this process of not paying taxes it too flagrant & easy. 

]]> By: Palomino http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281135 Palomino Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:35:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281135 You're right.  Ignorance of the law  is not an excuse for not becoming rich.  You’re right. 

Ignorance of the law  is not an excuse for not becoming rich. 

]]> By: Palomino http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281128 Palomino Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:29:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281128 For some of you who are responding below, this is a nod to: ~Gene and Paulette Cranick, of South Fulton, Tennessee, US, lost their home after firefighters were ordered by bosses not to extinguish it (for not paying a $75 "subscription" fee). ~Telegraph. (Meaning, reported in the U.K. too) For some of you who are responding below, this is a nod to: ~Gene and Paulette Cranick, of South Fulton, Tennessee, US, lost their home after firefighters were ordered by bosses not to extinguish it (for not paying a $75 “subscription” fee). ~Telegraph. (Meaning, reported in the U.K. too)

]]> By: Palomino http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281123 Palomino Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:18:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281123 The problem is, the rich may not be the actual government, but they are actively governing, that's where the real power is. The problem is, the rich may not be the actual government, but they are actively governing, that’s where the real power is.

]]> By: asuffield http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281117 asuffield Sun, 27 Nov 2011 18:00:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281117 <blockquote>All taxes are 'kick the rich' taxes. Get over it, it's fair and you're whining.</blockquote> Rubbish. Most taxes are paid by the middle classes, and that statement was profoundly silly when we're talking about how rich people don't pay stamp duty.

All taxes are ‘kick the rich’ taxes. Get over it, it’s fair and you’re whining.

Rubbish. Most taxes are paid by the middle classes, and that statement was profoundly silly when we’re talking about how rich people don’t pay stamp duty.

]]> By: Palomino http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281113 Palomino Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:58:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281113 I wonder what the elevator ride is like, if the 86% point & snicker at the 14% who paid. "You know the Jones, I heard they pay their taxes....Isn't that rich? Damn martyrs!" I wonder what the elevator ride is like, if the 86% point & snicker at the 14% who paid. “You know the Jones, I heard they pay their taxes….Isn’t that rich? Damn martyrs!”

]]> By: Rule Of Law http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281115 Rule Of Law Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:58:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281115 The point is that they did play by the rules.. Your govt helped make those rules. The point is that they did play by the rules.. Your govt helped make those rules.

]]> By: Palomino http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281098 Palomino Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:41:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281098 A Dichotomy:The calloused,  Hard Working class Vs. the Calloused,  hardly working class.  You can almost always tell when someone is hardworking. A wealthy rancher or farmer may be wearing a $5000 pair of cowboy boots, but their hands are rough and calloused too. And their working environment proves it. You see the land, the livestock; you can tangibly view their wealth.  But this kind of wealth is a cancer. These people are mosquitoes, they're feeding off the oxygen-rich blood of the middle class. It's time for us to flex our muscle and watch them explode.  I don't care if someone is rich. I care of they want the rest of us (and government) to make it easier for them to be rich.  It's not a question of being wealthy, it's about how someone can buy wealth, and what they are buying it with.  A Dichotomy:The calloused,  Hard Working class Vs. the Calloused,  hardly working class. 

You can almost always tell when someone is hardworking. A wealthy rancher or farmer may be wearing a $5000 pair of cowboy boots, but their hands are rough and calloused too. And their working environment proves it. You see the land, the livestock; you can tangibly view their wealth. 

But this kind of wealth is a cancer. These people are mosquitoes, they’re feeding off the oxygen-rich blood of the middle class. It’s time for us to flex our muscle and watch them explode. 

I don’t care if someone is rich. I care of they want the rest of us (and government) to make it easier for them to be rich.  It’s not a question of being wealthy, it’s about how someone can buy wealth, and what they are buying it with. 

]]> By: dragonfrog http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281096 dragonfrog Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:40:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281096 Only if you use a privately maintained sewage system that pipes the shit directly to somewhere poor people live - then you're not freeloading off a publicly maintained sewage treatment plant, don't you know... Only if you use a privately maintained sewage system that pipes the shit directly to somewhere poor people live – then you’re not freeloading off a publicly maintained sewage treatment plant, don’t you know…

]]> By: davidasposted http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281070 davidasposted Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:52:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281070 Maybe if their behavior wasn't so often contemptible and anti-social, regular folks would have fewer reasons to feel the way we do about them. Maybe if their behavior wasn’t so often contemptible and anti-social, regular folks would have fewer reasons to feel the way we do about them.

]]> By: rrh http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281069 rrh Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:48:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281069 Can we make the bucket toilet-shaped? And hook it up to the running water and sewage system? But still legally define it as a "bucket?" Can we make the bucket toilet-shaped? And hook it up to the running water and sewage system? But still legally define it as a “bucket?”

]]> By: atimoshenko http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281056 atimoshenko Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:10:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281056 Laws: rules you have to obey unless you have enough money to hire someone to find you a way around them. Laws: rules you have to obey unless you have enough money to hire someone to find you a way around them.

]]> By: Guest http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281054 Guest Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:07:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281054  All taxes are 'kick the rich' taxes. Get over it, it's fair and you're whining.  All taxes are ‘kick the rich’ taxes. Get over it, it’s fair and you’re whining.

]]> By: Guest http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281051 Guest Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:05:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281051 No, but you ARE prone to make excuses for people fully capable of explaining -themselves-, aren't you? I'm not going to pretend to be jealous of your superpower. No, but you ARE prone to make excuses for people fully capable of explaining -themselves-, aren’t you?

I’m not going to pretend to be jealous of your superpower.

]]> By: Tyson Williams http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281046 Tyson Williams Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:41:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281046 It is called: "One Hide-Taxes Park" It is called: “One Hide-Taxes Park”

]]> By: EvilSpirit http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281040 EvilSpirit Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:24:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281040 Not half as much as people who won't pay their taxes. Not half as much as people who won’t pay their taxes.

]]> By: Joseph BelBruno http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281037 Joseph BelBruno Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:18:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281037 Paying taxes sucks anyway. Paying taxes sucks anyway.

]]> By: AlexG55 http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281036 AlexG55 Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:14:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281036 Surely ignoring fires in an apartment building would be a bit harsh on the apartment owners who did pay their taxes? Surely ignoring fires in an apartment building would be a bit harsh on the apartment owners who did pay their taxes?

]]> By: asuffield http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281033 asuffield Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:04:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281033 <blockquote>On the other hand you avoid capital gains tax if you own your main residence, but not if your company does.</blockquote> Indeed, and this is actually the main reason why people do it: CGT is only payable if you make money on the sale, and if you make a loss then you can book it as a deduction from your CGT for that year. It's more affordable than stamp duty, which is an up-front cost. Rather than changing the law to make stamp duty apply to everybody, we should be changing it to make CGT apply to everybody and scrap stamp duty. It's a fairer system, if universally applied. (Of course, then it can't be used as a "kick the rich" tax, but I don't really believe those are a good idea)

On the other hand you avoid capital gains tax if you own your main residence, but not if your company does.

Indeed, and this is actually the main reason why people do it: CGT is only payable if you make money on the sale, and if you make a loss then you can book it as a deduction from your CGT for that year. It’s more affordable than stamp duty, which is an up-front cost.

Rather than changing the law to make stamp duty apply to everybody, we should be changing it to make CGT apply to everybody and scrap stamp duty. It’s a fairer system, if universally applied. (Of course, then it can’t be used as a “kick the rich” tax, but I don’t really believe those are a good idea)

]]> By: DavidN6 http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281031 DavidN6 Sun, 27 Nov 2011 14:51:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281031 On the other hand you avoid capital gains tax if you own your main residence, but not if your company does. On the other hand you avoid capital gains tax if you own your main residence, but not if your company does.

]]> By: Cowicide http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281027 Cowicide Sun, 27 Nov 2011 14:36:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281027 There's rich chavs? There’s rich chavs?

]]> By: Cowicide http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281025 Cowicide Sun, 27 Nov 2011 14:30:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281025 Let's face it.  They are BUMS.  If there was a toilet tax, they'd shit in buckets to avoid contributing to society. Let’s face it.  They are BUMS.  If there was a toilet tax, they’d shit in buckets to avoid contributing to society.

]]> By: thudson http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281019 thudson Sun, 27 Nov 2011 14:01:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281019 Many homes in NYC are sold in the same way -- an underlying corporation owns the building (or pays the mortgage on it) and the residents purchase shares that come with proprietary leases guaranteeing exclusive access to their units.  It sounds like Hyde Park residents are forming one-unit coops. Many homes in NYC are sold in the same way — an underlying corporation owns the building (or pays the mortgage on it) and the residents purchase shares that come with proprietary leases guaranteeing exclusive access to their units.  It sounds like Hyde Park residents are forming one-unit coops.

]]> By: taras http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281015 taras Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:34:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281015 I don't differentiate between poor chavs and moneyed chavs. They're all scum. I don’t differentiate between poor chavs and moneyed chavs. They’re all scum.

]]> By: someguyyouvenevermet http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281014 someguyyouvenevermet Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:20:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281014 Read the linked article the others are not registered at all and pay no council tax Read the linked article the others are not registered at all and pay no council tax

]]> By: William George http://boingboing.net/2011/11/26/worlds-most-expensive-apartm.html#comment-1281013 William George Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:12:00 +0000 http://boingboing.net/?p=131770#comment-1281013 <i>I'm not ... prone to hate rich people as a default position like Cory seems to do.</i> You should. They hate you. I’m not … prone to hate rich people as a default position like Cory seems to do.

You should. They hate you.

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