---
layout: post
status: publish
published: true
title: The "tax his land" meme and its discontents (me)

wordpress_id: 3118
wordpress_url: https://www.martineve.com/?p=3118
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categories:
- Politics
tags:
- politics
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---
<p>There's a meme going around at the moment (or at least internet post, if not a meme), which I think is pretty insidious. It reads as follows:</p>
<div style="clear:both"/>
<blockquote><p>
Tax his land,<br />
Tax his bed,<br />
Tax the table<br />
At which he's fed.</p>
<p>Tax his work,<br />
Tax his pay,<br />
He works for peanuts<br />
Anyway!</p>
<p>Tax his cow,<br />
Tax his goat,<br />
Tax his pants,<br />
Tax his coat.</p>
<p>Tax his tobacco,<br />
Tax his drink,<br />
Tax him if he<br />
Tries to think.</p>
<p>Tax his car,<br />
Tax his gas,<br />
Find other ways<br />
To tax his ass.</p>
<p>Tax all he has<br />
Then let him know<br />
That you won't be done<br />
Till he has no dough.</p>
<p>When he screams and hollers;<br />
Then tax him some more,<br />
Tax him till<br />
He's good and sore.</p>
<p>Then tax his coffin,<br />
Tax his grave,<br />
Tax the sod in<br />
Which he's laid.</p>
<p>When he's gone,<br />
Do not relax,<br />
It's time to apply<br />
The inheritance tax.</p>
<p>Accounts Receivable Tax<br />
Airline surcharge tax<br />
Airline Fuel Tax<br />
Airport Maintenance Tax<br />
Building Permit Tax<br />
Cigarette Tax<br />
Cooking Tax<br />
Corporate Income Tax<br />
Goods and Services Tax (GST)<br />
Death Tax<br />
Driving Permit Tax<br />
Environmental Tax (Fee)<br />
Excise Taxes<br />
Income Tax<br />
Fishing License Tax<br />
Food License Tax<br />
Petrol Tax (too much per litre)<br />
Gross Receipts Tax<br />
Health Tax<br />
Heating Tax<br />
Inheritance Tax<br />
Interest Tax<br />
Lighting Tax<br />
Liquor Tax<br />
Luxury Taxes<br />
Marriage License Tax<br />
Medicare Tax<br />
Mortgage Tax<br />
Pension Tax<br />
Personal Income Tax<br />
Property Tax<br />
Poverty Tax<br />
Prescription Drug Tax<br />
Real Estate Tax<br />
Recreational Vehicle Tax<br />
Retail Sales Tax<br />
Service Charge Tax<br />
School Tax<br />
Telephone Tax<br />
Value Added Tax<br />
Vehicle License Registration Tax<br />
Vehicle Sales Tax<br />
Water Tax<br />
Workers Compensation Tax<br />
Tax (VAT) on Tax.<br />
And Now they want a blooming Carbon Tax!</p>
<p>STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?</p>
<p>Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was one of the most prosperous in the world... We had absolutely no national debt, had a large middle class,a huge manufacturing base, and Mum stayed home to raise the kids.</p>
<p>What in the Hell happened? Could it be the lying parasitic politicians wasting our money?<br />
Oh, and don't forget the relatively new bank charges....<br />
And we all know what we think of Bankers.</p>
<p>I hope this goes around the UK at least 1000 times!!!</p>
<p>YOU can help it get there!
</p></blockquote>
<p>Apart from the American-centrism ("Medicare tax") of this (followed by the "share around the UK" disjunct), it's also utter rubbish.</p>
<ol>
<li>Inheritance tax, for just one example, has its roots in 1796 (in the UK) with Estate Duty being brought in in 1914 (i.e. 100 years ago)</li>
<li>In the fabled "good old days" to which this refers, populations were smaller and the number of government services provided lower -- this is clearly written by some psychopathic small-government fanatic who hates the idea of social security (which also didn't exist 100 years ago). The NHS has to be funded from somewhere</li>
<li>"And Now they want a blooming Carbon Tax!" is just climate change denial type rhetoric</li>
<li>"and Mum stayed home to raise the kids" -- really? Victorian-era treatment of women is something we look back on fondly?</li>
<li>I thought the "STILL THINK IT'S FUNNY" bit was going to explain some of this, or note corporate tax evasion is what we should be fighting, but no</li>
</ol>
<p>In any case, I put this up as something to return to when my next Facebook acquaintance posts it.</p>