Re:List of countries by tax rates
by matt4077 on Monday October 10, 2016 @09:23AM
(#12676913)
Today's North Korea doesn't have much to do with communism. It's a monarchy or a hereditary dictatorship or "Fascism meets Micromanagement". The difference is mostly in the distribution of power: while the individual is highly restricted in both systems, in communism it's your peers that are supposed to make your life miserable, not the supreme leader.
It's even more pronounced with Russia and China (and nowadays Turkey, with Hungarian aspirations to join the club): Fiercely capitalistic economies* in an almost complete absence of other civil liberties.
For NK, I doubt that a comparison makes any sense, considering how far removed it is from other countries' societies. How do you account for widespread forced labor? What's the real value of any income they get if part of it is in quotas for food, and most prices are subject to change at a moments notice when PJ thinks it's a good idea or toilet paper reserves are running dry?
*as long as it doesn't come into contact with political realm, and sometimes obscured by an additional kleptocratic layer.
It's even more pronounced with Russia and China (and nowadays Turkey, with Hungarian aspirations to join the club): Fiercely capitalistic economies* in an almost complete absence of other civil liberties.
For NK, I doubt that a comparison makes any sense, considering how far removed it is from other countries' societies. How do you account for widespread forced labor? What's the real value of any income they get if part of it is in quotas for food, and most prices are subject to change at a moments notice when PJ thinks it's a good idea or toilet paper reserves are running dry?
*as long as it doesn't come into contact with political realm, and sometimes obscured by an additional kleptocratic layer.