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How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

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Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#541

Post by senderista »

HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #177
greenraven wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's completely missed that small entrepreneurs may also want to take part This is by design. It’s the same all over the world. The wealthy are not going to just let you compete

Dunno about that. I live in the US. I can start a small business today and the only thing I'd have to do differently is file an additional form on my taxes next year. Yes, that's a simplification that doesn't apply to every situation, but it is still completely accurate.

And you'd need to line up your own health insurance.

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#542

Post by varispeed »

lnsru wrote: post #467
merek wrote: post #353

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Running own business is a sin Shouldn't any wealth creation viewed positively due to tax, not to mention value to consumers/society? Or is the view that people on average produce more value when employed by a large corporation?

A self employed person can deduct many things used personally from the taxes in Germany as a business expense. An employed person pays shit ton of taxes and the value added tax. So from pre-tax salary you get only 30% for spending. Lol. It’s slavery.

Corporations also deduct things as expenses. Small business or self-employed person don't have any special privileges - au contraire - in many jurisdictions big corporations are not audited at all and have special tax arrangements where they agree with the tax man to pay certain amount of tax. The idea that small business somehow avoids tax is a myth. If you have limited company, your personal spending wont fly past accountant.

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#543

Post by veeti »

Kudos wrote: post #239

Anti-EU regulation sentiment really seems to have an uptick in line with widespread availability of LLMs. The EU isn't perfect, but the catastrophising I read feels mostly like astro-turfing attempts at destabilisation. It's probably more easily noticed from inside the EU.

Somehow there is always an endless supply of coincidence theorists ready to hand wave away all criticisms of EU shooting itself in the foot. The TFA is from a seemingly legitimate Greek business with a 5+ track record of selling and publishing electronics content online. They obviously work with many others in the space and have come up with this plea for some reason.

And you are calling this astroturfing LLM based on what? It's really no different from calling tariffs so much winning and laughing at seething liberals.

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#544

Post by svobodamartin »

History will see last years as EU that turned Europe

-suicidal for own energy industry and economy via green deal without real impact for the world (see EU vs World/ China CO2 emisions chart)

-demographically/socially suicidal via open borders and stupidly generous social benefits for immigrants instead of supporting own families

-going back in time via overregulation of every aspect of our lives

-becoming police state/s via overcontrol

-hypocritical via outsourcing industries and making carbon footprint in other parts of the world

-internally weak via not protecting european values over immigrants "rights" and terror mongering (p.e. Xmas markets canceled on many places)

-supresing democracy via online censorship (DSA)

-juicing own people via over-taxation (exit taxes and unrealized gains taxes)

-being stowaway in terms of own external security (majority of states didn't fulfill NATO requirements in terms of GDP's percentage spent on military...well this actually is one thing that improves over the years, but Europe needed a kick from east and west to becoming adult here after years of underspending)

All in all, EU controlling Europe is committing civilizational suicide, living off past merits which results/capacity are running low while morally lecturing the rest. At the same time also destroying the very foundations that made Europe prosperous. History will likely look back at us as we/Europe voluntarily chose decline.

ps. the fact that I had to check if any claim made is not illegal, shows how far with censorship we already are. Freedom of speech cant be regulated without being lost.

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#545

Post by carlosjobim »

pjc50 wrote: post #225
carlosjobim wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, the Greeks were cool and calculating, turning an inflating fake fiat currency into hard assets like real estate, while not working or producing anything. The introduction of the Euro was the start signal for each country to try to inflate as much as they can for their own benefit - since the first inflator gets the best value out of the currency. Idiots are left holding paper currency worth less and less each day…

The Euro had a much better set of inflation controls than most of the previous European currencies. Especially the lire.

Absolutely. But when you inflate your own currency, it is you who have to deal with the consequences. If you inflate everyone's currency you reap all the benefits and leave everybody else with the burden of the consequences.

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#546

Post by akie »

Aeolun wrote: post #518
akie wrote: post #294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

They manage to do it for 50 states in the US just fine. It isn’t exactly rocket science. It’s just that individual countries in Europe all feel like unique little snowflakes.

That’s the most uninformed view I’ve read about this in a VERY long time.

The US / Trump doesn’t even manage to renegotiate a trade agreement with Canada, although you speak the same language and your cultural proximity is about 95% - so maybe it’s time to get off your high horse buddy

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#547

Post by reillyse »

svobodamartin wrote: post #544

History will see last years as EU that turned Europe -suicidal for own energy industry and economy via green deal without real impact for the world (see EU vs World/ China CO2 emisions chart) -demographically/socially suicidal via open borders and stupidly generous social benefits for immigrants instead of supporting own families -going back in time via overregulation of every aspect of our lives -becoming police sta…

Little hysterical no?

Everywhere has their problems, I think Europe is doing fine.

Where do you think is a model society ?

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#548

Post by throw-the-towel »

shimman wrote: post #410
myaccountonhn wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah any thread on the EU is full with that on HN.

They want the lifestyle of Europe but do not want the rich to pay more taxes to support it.

But don't Switzerland or the UK have similarly comfortable lifestyles with less absurd taxation?

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#549

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

senderista wrote: post #541
HeyLaughingBoy wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dunno about that. I live in the US. I can start a small business today and the only thing I'd have to do differently is file an additional form on my taxes next year. Yes, that's a simplification that doesn't apply to every situation, but it is still completely accurate.

And you'd need to line up your own health insurance.

Usually not if you already have a day job. But that's completely orthogonal to the original statement.

Re: How Europe is killing makers and micro-entrepreneurs

#550

Post by jansan »

planb wrote: post #524

EU regulation is basically broken beyond repair. And I used to be the biggest proponent of it. When everyone was being angry that they are taking away light bulbs this was a kick starter for LED lighting and I guess Signify (formerly Philips lighting) and Osram wouldn’t exist today if they hadn’t been forced to invest into that field of technology. Unfortunately the EU does not at all understand how the internet work…

I am pretty sure the reason for the ban lightbulbs was to push sales of fluorescent lamps before LEDs would finally take over. It came just when LED lamps were still too expensive to replace the light bulbs, so people were pushed into those crappy fluorescent lamps, only to have them replaced a few years later by the much better LEDs.
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