| Submit your comments on this article |
| Europe |
| Protest calling for higher taxes poorly attended, supporters can't understand why |
| 2009-10-24 |
| Auntie Beeb A group of rich Germans has launched a petition calling for the government to make wealthy people pay higher taxes.... Signatory Peter Vollmer told AFP news agency he was supporting the proposal because he had inherited "a lot of money I do not need". He said the tax would be "a viable and socially acceptable way out of the flagrant budget crisis". The group held a demonstration in Berlin on Wednesday to draw attention to their plans, throwing fake banknotes into the air. Mr Vollmer said it was "really strange that so few people came". "Ich habe keinen Anhaltspunkt. Schlagen Sie mich bitte mit einem Anhaltspunktstock!" |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #11 The lesson, good Snaick tse Tung7583, surely involves sipping the Scotch in considerably smaller volumes until the entirety of Rantburg has been read. Save the proper sips until reading something safer. ;-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2009-10-24 23:39 |
| #10 "I do not have a clue. Please hit me with a clue bat." That is what Google Translate returned. And, that is when I sprayed a mouthful of good Scotch through my nasal passages. |
| Posted by: Snaick tse Tung7583 2009-10-24 23:03 |
| #9 The translation (that is, what I was trying to say in rusty High School German): "I do not have a clue. Please hit me with a clue bat." |
| Posted by: Mike 2009-10-24 22:22 |
| #8 "Ich habe keinen Anhaltspunkt. Schlagen Sie mich bitte mit einem Anhaltspunktstock!" I do not speak German. So, I resorted to Google Translate. Note to self: refrain from swallowing beverages when clicking the translate icon. I sprayed a mouthful of good Scotch all over my screen...through my nose. Ouch! |
| Posted by: Snaick tse Tung7583 2009-10-24 21:59 |
| #7 Yeah, Blondie - me too. ;-p |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-10-24 20:15 |
| #6 He could always send a few Euros my way...if they are weighing him down so much. Just sayin'. |
| Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie 2009-10-24 19:16 |
| #5 They could give the German gummint more of their money, Richard, but that's not really what they want. They want to feel good about themselves and be praised by one and all for their generosity. Herr Vollmer doesn't even know where money really comes from, apparently: "he was supporting the proposal because he had inherited 'a lot of money I do not need'." See, money magically comes from somebody else, but he won't just give the gummint the money he "doesn't need" because he won't get any public brownie points. Moron. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2009-10-24 17:28 |
| #4 Everyone sends their regrets, but they were already committed to attending the self-castration with a rusty nail rally. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2009-10-24 17:05 |
| #3 What prevents them from giving the government the money they think they should pay? It would give them creditibility and they may get a bit more support. Pushing the government to do something you can joy well do on your own is irrational behavior. |
| Posted by: Richard of Oregon 2009-10-24 14:48 |
| #2 Taxes now are based upon income, not wealth. However if revenues go down, governments will go after assets to keep revenues up. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2009-10-24 13:30 |
| #1 This is being seen by smarter people as a cynical ploy by these rich people to prevent other people from becoming rich, which sheltering their own assets. Remember that taxes are based on income, not wealth. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2009-10-24 12:39 |