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The time bomb in the tax code that's fueling mass tech layoffs

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Re: The time bomb in the tax code that's fueling mass tech layoffs

#401
post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that is the simplest and best analogy I have read so far in the comments.

The chef doesn't create a meal once that you can sell for the next 10 years though. You pay him for time X, he makes a meal, you sell that meal. That's fundamentally different from regular software development outside of agencies where there is no direct relationship. Software development is closer to an investment than an expense. Amortization sucks in general, yes, because the money is gone and it doesn't affect yo…

> The chef doesn't create a meal once that you can sell for the next 10 years though. You pay him for time X, he makes a meal, you sell that meal.

What if the chef invents a new signature dish that makes your restaurant famous for the next 10 years?

Re: The time bomb in the tax code that's fueling mass tech layoffs

#402

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a progressive, it seems like the Democrats always have Senate spoilers...

> As a progressive, it seems like the Democrats always have Senate spoilers... With Republicans usually being dominant in a number of states, if Democrats have a Senate majority, it is usually both narrow and dependent on a very small number of Democratic and/or Dem-leading moderate independent Senators from Republican-majority states who vote with the party on leadership, but are soft (or firmly opposed to the progr…

> If the US were approximately an equal democracy, this might be less of an issue

Equal to what?

Re: The time bomb in the tax code that's fueling mass tech layoffs

#403

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They want to call it anything other than a tax. It's a specific tax, on a particular class of better educated workers in specific jobs.

That typically don’t vote for that party and are unsympathetic.

Unsympathetic because?

Re: The time bomb in the tax code that's fueling mass tech layoffs

#404

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But this is the type of thing that progressives would like support (tax big corporate America).

No, this is a misunderstanding of the kind of taxation policy progressives tend to favor. Taxation on profit for businesses should be high, and taxation on upper tiers of individual income should be high, but taxation on funds businesses use to reinvest should be exempted or deductable. Basically the taxation we had in place after WW2 and on, with a steep corporate tax rate and more or less a maximum income for indiv…

I don’t think most progressives think about it in that detail. Raise taxes on the rich tech companies that are gentrifying san francisco.

Re: The time bomb in the tax code that's fueling mass tech layoffs

#405

Earlier quoted context omitted.

if you retain power, you can fix it. the US government currently has the significant problem that one party campaigns on the government being dysfunctional, so they do their best to make it so.

But what would trump have done if he retained the presidency and lost congress? That's also been pretty common over the last few decades if I'm mistaken, a president with one or both sides of Congress is reelected but Congress flips to the opposition party.

I would suppose that the Democrats would remove the policy regardless of who was in charge.

Re: The time bomb in the tax code that's fueling mass tech layoffs

#406
post #62

Is there a flaw in saying, "salaries should always be considered a business expense and cannot be amortized over many years." ?

I would say, yes there is a flaw there, because salaries are often a huge chunk of R&D expenses, and for the sake of long term growth, we want to disproportionately incentivize R&D spending

I think you inverted your understanding. My phrasing is inline with incentivizing R&D, or not dis-incentivizing it.

Re: The time bomb in the tax code that's fueling mass tech layoffs

#407

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What i like about US is that compare to other countries (like for example Russia where i'm originally from) there is almost no lying and cheating here. Instead there is a respect of the law and an army of talented creative accountants and lawyers I thought you were being sarcastic here at first because, good lord, there is plenty of corruption here in the US (though those doing it used to care more about hiding it)…

You have no idea about corruption if you haven't lived it in a BRIC country. The funny thing, is that people not from America say that there IS corruption, but at least it happens in the open. I think OP is saying the same.

>say that there IS corruption, but at least it happens in the open

How is that corruption?

Re: The time bomb in the tax code that's fueling mass tech layoffs

#408

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this was passed in 2017 to go into effect during the next presidential term, wouldn't that only work as a time bomb for Biden's presidency if Trump didn't expect to win a second consecutive term? Given the history of prior presidents winning 2 consecutive terms, it seems like Trump could have reasonably expected a 2022/2023 tax change to be his problem.

if you retain power, you can fix it. the US government currently has the significant problem that one party campaigns on the government being dysfunctional, so they do their best to make it so.

[flagged]

Re: The time bomb in the tax code that's fueling mass tech layoffs

#409
post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They tried. They had Senate spoilers.

As a progressive, it seems like the Democrats always have Senate spoilers...

And get blamed for it. If every single Republican and two Democrats vote against something guess who people blame?

Re: The time bomb in the tax code that's fueling mass tech layoffs

#410

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a progressive, it seems like the Democrats always have Senate spoilers...

> As a progressive, it seems like the Democrats always have Senate spoilers... With Republicans usually being dominant in a number of states, if Democrats have a Senate majority, it is usually both narrow and dependent on a very small number of Democratic and/or Dem-leading moderate independent Senators from Republican-majority states who vote with the party on leadership, but are soft (or firmly opposed to the progr…

>If the US were approximately an equal democracy, this might be less of an issue.

How? Evenly divided voters and representatives are the issue. Each side can barely afford to lose 10% or so during votes

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