Tax Benefits

Published in La Razón
(Bolivia ) on 17 August 2011
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Danielle Marcos. Edited by Nathan Ladd    .
On Monday, Warren Buffett, the third wealthiest person in the world according to Forbes magazine, asked that the U.S. no longer pamper the most affluent. He urged U.S. political leaders to raise taxes on the super-wealthy like himself. Buffett, coming from a commendably honest perspective, acknowledged that in the U.S. (and as often happens in other countries), the super-wealthy pay fewer taxes in proportion to the rest of the population. They have advantages and political privileges that allow these tax benefits to exist. In addition, this system is maintained by the sacrifices of members of the other classes. A clear example is the soldiers currently fighting in Afghanistan who belong to the working and middle class.

Buffett’s statements may seem idealistic rather than altruistic or generous, but he is aware that the present system is threatening peace and democracy in large part because it’s dominated by the stock markets. In this epoch characterized by the ever-growing gap between the poor and the wealthy, never before has a race for cash been so evidently wild. Moreover, this is occurring within the same system that facilitates life and helps maintain billionaires like Buffett. That the Republican Party just does not seem to understand this is a threat to the system.






Privilegios fiscales

El tercer hombre más rico del mundo, según la revista Forbes, Warren Buffett, pidió el lunes que EEUU deje de "mimar" a los más acaudalados, e instó a los líderes políticos de su país a aumentar los impuestos a multimillonarios como él. Bajo una visión honesta y encomiable, Buffett ha reconocido que en EEUU, tal como sucede en muchos otros países, los millonarios no sólo pagan proporcionalmente menos impuestos que el resto (pues cuentan con instrumentos y prebendas políticas que dan lugar a estos privilegios), sino que además son los otros sectores quienes más se sacrifican para preservar este sistema con prerrogativas. El caso, por ejemplo, de los soldados que actualmente luchan en Afganistán, y que pertenecen a los sectores pobres o de clase media.

Ahora bien, más que un gesto de altruismo o de desprendimiento, estas declaraciones pueden leerse como una opinión visionaria. Buffett se da cuenta de que el actual sistema dominado por los mercados financieros, en donde la carrera por el dinero nunca en la historia ha sido tan salvaje, época caracterizada por la inmensa brecha entre los más pobres y ricos que no deja de crecer, está amenazando la paz y la democracia; es decir, al régimen que da vida y sostiene a millonarios como él. Amenaza que el ala conservadora del partido republicano parece no entender.
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