Canada’s federal personal income tax came into effect September 20, 1917 with a 4 per cent tax on all income of single people (unmarried persons and widows or widowers without dependent children) over $2,000. For everyone else, the personal exemption was $3,000. In today’s dollars, the exemptions would be worth approximately $33,000 and $50,000, respectively. To be clear, in today’s dollars, the first federal personal income tax exempted the first $33,000 of income for single people and the first $50,000 for everyone else. For reference, the basic personal exemption for 2016 is $11,474.
Here's equivalent NZ data for your edification:
6 comments:
I'm not sure what that is. But it makes me laugh, so I guess it cant be all bad!
What has the ever increasing taxation since the early 1900s done to benefit mankind.? It has funded politically initiated warfare resulting in the mass murder of millions of world citizens. It provides many unproductive people with incomes, there are plenty of snouts in the public trough and there are plenty more itching to get into the trough. It enables bureaucracy to grow like gorse, bureaucracy that is about as useful as gorse.
Don W raises a good point. A fair chunk of NZ's infrastructure was built when we had a small population, using borrowed money at about 5% interest, before significant income tax yet now we struggle to even maintain things. Where does the money go?
3:16
I appreciate the posts and the comments.
It is legalised theft with penalties for non compliance. The waste of the taxpayer and GST payers efforts is best seen in the House, especially late evenings. Saw Minster Smith grinding his way through the Third reading of his RMA amendment with a very sparse sitting and few of those paying much attention. Work out the cost of each list "member" including their travel and it is hard to see any value for money.
I accept paying tax for benefits where there is genuine need but draw the line at motel accommodation and any payments for more than two children. Working for families was an election bribe that continues to reflect poorly on all governments who continue with it. I object to paying for security guards at WINZ due to past bad behaviour of those claiming what they see as "entitlement".
GST rips the good humour away. It is way above any reasonable level. If you are a wage or salary earner and paying at the top end while getting whacked with GST on every thing you buy, your forced contribution to government waste is just an ongoing irritant. Any increase to GST would send a government into the swamp for years whereas wiping WWF may get surprising support from those bothered to vote.
Do not ignore the burden local government imposes by weight of law, with GST added, on ratepayers. There is a shortage of value in that considerable impost as well.
If we could get away from the overwhelming weight of both national government, and local government, interference with getting on with life in New Zealand, we would all be better off.
Pete
That graph is highly misleading: the y-axis must be percentage of government funds from each source, not absolute funds, not even per capita in current dollars.
What did taxes pay for: we know that 1/4 each on health, education, welfare, the codger-dole - and a small amount for roads, hydro dams, police, army, power grid, phones, post office, think big, harbour bridges, railways, railways again, air nz..
The biggest spends are health, education, and super. Privatisation or vouchers won't help here: NZs government systems somehow give world-class outcomes overall at relatively low cost, we'd just keep spending the same or more money to corporate providers.
Want to make a big difference? stop ANY tax funding of health education super infrastructure as well as welfare.
Meanwhile Radio NZ - the only NZ media outlet to call John Key a communist while he was PM - now has an interview with Jenny Shipley saying that "middle class welfare" must be eliminated immediately.
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