Spain decides to tax the sun

[Teal Lantern]

Out Of Ideas And In Debt, Spain Sets Sights On Taxing The Sun
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphilli ... g-the-sun/


Step 1: Aggressively promote and subsidize solar panel installation and use.
Step 2: Turn around and tax that very same use.
Step 3: Threaten to fine those who don't register their panels.

Not to be outdone, Arizona Mulls Solar 'Tax'.

You can try to get off the grid, but you can't so easily get the grid off you.

[HouseMD]

That was painful to read. Taxes are supposed to use money from citizens to support things related to said tax, such as property taxes generally paying for local infrastructure and schools or gas taxes paying for roads. The other ethical sort of taxation is that which discourages behavior that harms health and safety, such as cigarette or pollution taxes.

This does neither. It takes money away from citizens to support nothing even remotely related to energy and discourages positive behavior. I really hope this leads to a Spanish revolution, I would love to see the corrupt bastards that passed this swinging from a rafter.

[ContraMundumRants]

As a Spaniard, this doesn't surprise me. The government is more desperate
than you can imagine.

In my city, they are building a casino to increase the tax revenues since local
governments are going broke.

What can you expect from a country that has 50% unemployment for young
people?

If you guys want to come to Spain, come here for the party lifestyle, beaches and the sun (although
that is getting taxed too now!), but forget about setting down any economic roots
in this land of corruption and mediocrity.

[Teal Lantern]

As a Spaniard, this doesn't surprise me. The government is more desperate
than you can imagine.

In my city, they are building a casino to increase the tax revenues since local
governments are going broke.

What can you expect from a country that has 50% unemployment for young
people?

If you guys want to come to Spain, come here for the party lifestyle, beaches and the sun (although
that is getting taxed too now!), but forget about setting down any economic roots
in this land of corruption and mediocrity.

That is the issue.
How does one set down economic roots ANYWHERE (not just Spain), when, 10 or 20 years down the line, .gov wants more money, changes the old rules, and has the tax man bend you over and treat you like 'no' means 'yes' and 'yes' means 'anal'?