The wealthiest man in the US has put his support behind a tax targeting the wealthy which would be given to the poor.

Bill Gates to support ‘Robin Hood’ tax – Features – Al Jazeera English

We can argue over the validity of Robin Hood’s actions (or at least the legend known as Robin Hood, whoever the guy was); we can discuss whether his actions were moral or not, etc. However, I think nobody would disagree that, no matter how noble his motives, Robin Hood was a burglar. He robbed. Taxes, on the other hand, are not a robbery. They are not a crime inflicted on “the rich”. They are part of the social contract (and again, part of the democratic process is debating whether they are legitimate or not, etc.). However, I wish media would not refer to an accepted agreement within the social contract with a metaphor that equates taxes to a crime. Because really, they are not the same thing.

Also, taxes are not exclusively for “the poor”. They go into the whole of society. So, there’s that as well.


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