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Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by Cless on Tuesday March 04, 2014 @01:28PM (#7342027)
> Japan's consumption tax, which is set to rise to 8% on April 1

So they're actually going through with this, when the economy has been depressed for over a decade...?

Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by thirsteh on Tuesday March 04, 2014 @01:58PM (#7342268)
Only in America is a tax increase equated (without any further investigation) to depressing the economy, and a tax break (once again without investigation) equated with letting the peacock that is the economy fly free.
Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by Cless on Tuesday March 04, 2014 @02:05PM (#7342322)
Indeed. But I hope you're not implying I am doing that. ):

Love, a liberal Canadian bent on destroying freedom, liberty, capitalism, and all things good.

Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by fennecfoxen on Tuesday March 04, 2014 @06:10PM (#7343909)
> Only in America is a tax increase equated (without any further investigation) to depressing the economy

That's not strictly true. There are other countries who harbor economists possessed of half a brain and theory describing the basic principles of how quasi-rational actors behave in various situations. They just usually don't get listened to. :)

Promising free lunches for everyone is much more popular and gets you elected! :D

Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by fivethree on Wednesday March 05, 2014 @03:57AM (#7346050)
Theory is dumb when all empirical data disagrees with it. Good thing the Austrian's figured this problem out by ignoring data. It's the true hacker's way.
Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by Cless on Wednesday March 05, 2014 @05:02AM (#7346206)
You have to afford the Austrians some sympathy. They know, just know, that their economic theories are correct and just. However, they kept running into a problem: there's so much troublesome data that proves the opposite of their beliefs. One day, Ludwig von Mises discovered that the scientific method itself was flawed. So he created a new system to replace it by fiat: "praxeology." Problem solved - now science confirms everything Austrians believe. No need for data.
Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by fennecfoxen on Wednesday March 05, 2014 @11:07AM (#7347744)
I'm sure you have multiple studies with mountains of data which clearly demonstrate that the economy is at its most prosperous at a marginal tax rate of 100%. Oh, man, you guys are so cute. :)
Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by fivethree on Wednesday March 05, 2014 @11:45AM (#7347988)
You're dumb. Please read an actual book on economics not associated with Mises or his filth.
Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by Cless on Wednesday March 05, 2014 @11:37AM (#7347938)
So the only possible marginal rates are 0% and 100%. Good to know.
Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by fennecfoxen on Thursday March 06, 2014 @12:11AM (#7352014)
Clearly.
Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by partoutok on Tuesday March 04, 2014 @05:58PM (#7343844)
Japan economy has not been depressed. Stagnant maybe, but over the last decade unemployment rate was only 5%.
Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by Cless on Tuesday March 04, 2014 @11:01PM (#7345188)
That's right. The main problem is deflation. Monetary policy has been effective in the last year, but increasing sales taxes could wipe all of that progress out.

So I'm depressed, not Japan. :)

Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by kaonashi on Tuesday March 04, 2014 @02:23PM (#7342423)
Why do you think their economy has been depressed for over a decade? Every time they show a glimmer of growth, they yank out the rug from underneath by raising taxes.
Re:Japan to regulate Bitcoin trades, impose taxes by corresation on Tuesday March 04, 2014 @02:34PM (#7342495)
Why do you think their economy has been depressed for over a decade?

While it is incredibly complex, the fact that their population has been static, trending towards declining, has played a significant part of it.

In many countries, economic growth is just a side effect of population growth -- every number gets bigger, but the actual wealth of each individual person is static or in decline.