[ExI] Abandon all taxes

[spike]

> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of BillK
...
> 
> Italy is recognised as having a very large 'black' economy.
> The IMF reckoned that up to a third of workers are 'off the book'.
> Tax evasion is a way of life for small business in Italy.
> (One set of accounts for the tax man and another set for running the
> business)... BillK


This makes me wonder about the impact of the twin developments of eBay and
PayPal.  In Europe, California and other high income tax states one could
run a tax-free business that could easily crush one's competitors.  The
governments that rely heavily upon income tax must be watching this with
great concern.

If governments ever manage to tax eBay and PayPal, I can imagine the
evolution of a new business in which people do not actually convert
purchases into eCash, but rather trade goods directly.  One can currently
have an eBay store for instance, filled with stuff that someone somewhere on
this planet might want.  In my case, I have a collection of parts for
antique motorcycles that I no longer own, and I own four antique motorcycles
for which parts are scarce and precious.  I could imagine an eBay-like site
in which people have their stores pages and wish list pages, that operate on
buyer/seller reputations as does eBay.  One could browse their for-sale
pages and their wish lists, see if we can work out trades that never involve
actual cash, e or otherwise, so they are not taxable even in theory.

Some of you extropian internet jockeys, get to work on this, forthwith
please.  I would do it myself but I am too non-blackberry at computers.  I
am good at fixing up old bikes however.  {8-] 

spike