+78 We aren't willing to pay $2 extra in taxes for important things but will happily pay $2 for a chance to win a $1.9 billion lottery, amirite?

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Nah you're paying $2 to surf mansions on Zillow thinking, "i could live there"

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Friend of mine said the price of the ticket is more so you can daydream for a few days of what you'd do with the winnings

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Hopium can make you feel good for days. :-)

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Dude thank tou for coining hopium im using this from now on.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Wait, I can do that infinitely for free! I'm starting to think this whole lottery thing might be a scam! /s

by Anonymous 2 years ago

The lottery is literally a tax on the stupid.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

- Said no lottery winner, ever.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yeah, the one In 50m people who win it lol.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If I could choose where my taxes went, I would happily pay more taxes. As it stands, it's probably going to war, and I'm not going to give more to such a thing

by Anonymous 2 years ago

No taxes on lottery winnings in Canada. I won 2 bucks last week in the 6/49. No tax, got the whole $2

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Warren Buffett ova here

by Anonymous 2 years ago

More like Galen Weston Jr

by Anonymous 2 years ago

In the US gambling winnings aren't taxed under a certain amount. I hope you're trolling bc I'm sure it's the same in Canada lmao but just in case anyone is that dense to believe it

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I 10000% agree with that. The ability for us to choose would speak loudly. Either for the greater good or for the worse. But I'll be happier to choose maybe every year to choose where it goes.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I'd be happy if we could just allocate some small percentage of our taxes to a specific cause (even really high level categories such as "public transit" or "science research"). Keeps paying for most things with the remaining 95% of taxes but allows for some direct representation as well via the allocatable 5% or something

by Anonymous 2 years ago

This would be better. Would make you feel better about paying them without taking away too much from other important items.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If only we had a system in place that let us choose people to represent our interests when it came to the spending of our taxes...

by Anonymous 2 years ago

It's also going to pay for that butthole cop who bullies everyone with his abuse of power and there's nothing you can do about it except yell "I pay your salary" to which he's probably think. "Yup and I'm loving it".

by Anonymous 2 years ago

America has spent more money on healthcare for the poor than the military every year you have been alive, so remember that when you get a job and start paying taxes.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Even if it prevents genocide and war crimes? I doubt a budget that was ran as a popularity contest would be very effective. Just elect people who have the same priorities as you; that's the best you can hope for.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

>Even if it prevents genocide and war crimes? But it doesn't do that.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

It does, US weapons and support are helping immensely in Ukraine.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

You are able to decide, by voting.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Out tax dollars go to defense contractors. The wars are just their means to that end.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I would say it more so goes to war profiteering, which is even worse. Could be classified as general profiteering, but there's so much money that goes in that generally ends up benefitting contractors more than anyone else.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

No I won't. I don't gamble, even with the government. I pay my taxes, avoid lotteries and spend my extra money on drugs, like a normal human being.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

This guy gets it 😎

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Had me in the first half, not gonna lie :D

by Anonymous 2 years ago

finally a reasonable answer

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Taxes on items or paychecks: involuntary. $2 lottery ticket: voluntary.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Preach!

by Anonymous 2 years ago

It's because we can't in any way guarantee that any of that $2 in taxes will be paid toward things we care about or find important. The money vanishes and we don't have any clue at all as to where it vanishes to. The $2 on a lottery ticket at least has a TINY chance of not JUST going into someone else's pocket without us knowing NOTHING about what happened to it.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Fairly sure you could look into that, if you wanted to.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Nah it's super opaque. Best you can find is how much money is spend in extremely broad brackets.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

We know exactly where those $2 are going. They're going to make some old rich guy more rich.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yeah, could be going to help poor countries fight climate change or could be going to a two fingers up to Mexico wall that harms wildlife. So many opposing forces in play at the moment.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

No I'm actually instead paying $25 for application fees just to have my application denied immediately

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Well, lottery tickets are actually a form of government fundraising, and many states' largest chunk of funds comes from the state lottery. And it lets smart people not have to pay more taxes, lol.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

That's true, but at one point, they were billed to be an extra and not an instead of.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I just found out today that the UK lottery is tax free - because it is classified as gambling, not income.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Same in Canada

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Actually, the governments in Canada effectively run them and the government take is taken from the ticket sales pool, which is why winnings aren't taxed in Canada.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Are you saying that UK citizens aren't taxed on gambling winning? US citizens definitely are. However, you can deduct gambling losses to the extent of winnings.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Canada winnings aren't taxable either.... But are you saying that the $2/week lotto ticket is tax deductible?

by Anonymous 2 years ago

To the extent of winnings. If you haven't won anything then you can't deduct anything. If you've won $500, but spent $1,000 then you can only deduct $500.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

It sure is!

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Lotteries are a tax on people who are bad a math.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Maybe so, but I will gladly skip buying the burger meal in exchange for a slight chance to change my life. Win Win even if I dont win.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

And the powerball price money (after tax) will work out to around $600 million, for a 1 in 270 million chance of winning the lottery. So if you bought a ticket for this drawing, you actually made a 'smart' bet, as your expected winning is \~600/270 = 2.22 >2 dollars for the ticket.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yes and no, the idea is someone has to win, even at a trillion to one odds, someone still has to win and aside from people buying multiple tickets I have the same chance as the next guy buying the same amount of tickets. I get the chance is so miniscule it's the same as handing the cashier $2 for him to just give me a paper saying no. But $2 for a daydream is fun. This is also coming from someone that doesn't buy lotto tickets lol

by Anonymous 2 years ago

To be fair my whole life someone's been saying if we just pay two more dollars or a little bit more taxes something will change, and guess what it never does. Government is a problem not a solution.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I'd have less of a problem paying $2 extra in taxes, if our government didn't do things like send over $10 million to Pakistan for gender studies.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I can give $2 to the government, throw $2 into a fireplace or buy a $2 lottery ticket. If I throw the money into a fire, I get a little bit of warmth. If I buy a lottery ticket, I get a little bit of time to fantasize about what I would do with the money if I win. If I give the money to the government, they burn it and I don't get any warmth.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

More like they buy ice cubes and place them on you making you wish you'd burned it for warmth even more than the lottery ticket.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

They use tax money to pay for road construction, maintenance of property in your area, infrastructure maintenance and upgrades, government-funded organizations, etc. People really don't understand the point of taxes

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Well, to be fair 2 dollars in taxes isn't going to go to the important things, it's going to fund maybe a fraction of one important thing because government spending is absolutely ridiculous.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Lottery tickets are a tax on people who don't understand probability.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I mean to be fair, when you buy a lottery ticket, the worst that happens is you just lose the $2, but when you pay $2 in taxes, the worst that happens is you still don't get what you paid for and that money goes toward either a dumbass useless statue or a missile that kills a bunch of people you've never met.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

What makes even less sense is using spending an hour using grocery delivery and paying $20 in fees cause you don't have time or gas to go to the store. (Yes I know some people actually need to use this service. Me included at times.)

by Anonymous 2 years ago

The proceeds from the lottery in my state go toward education.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Which state?

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Who is this we? And what are these important things youre trying to take from my less then livable income to fund?

by Anonymous 2 years ago

People will also pig out on junk food and sugary drinks and not drop a single can of corn when the food drive comes around. It's nice (even good) to be generous but it's not evil to take care of yourself and your happiness.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If I don't pay my taxes, I get fined and thrown in prison. If I don't buy a lottery ticket, I still have $2. If i do buy a ticket, I have a small chance of winning a billion dollars. If I do pay my taxes, I have a large chance of funding government policies that specifically harm other people or myself and I can't even track which way my money went.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

TBH I don't blame most American's for not wanting to pay taxes. When your government doesn't do anything for you with that money like providing universal healthcare or descent infrastructure to provide you with clean drinking water.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If American taxes did anything then yeah we would be, if the rich had to pay a reasonable amount of taxes then yes we would

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Giving money to the lottery has a better chance of helping you than giving it to the government…and less of a chance of it being used to blow people up.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

$2 for a week of hope and fanciful imaginings. In these dark days, maybe it's money well spent for some people.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

We don't know where our taxes go. We know exactly where our $2 for the lottery goes... In the gutter. But at least we know.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I've never bought a lottery ticket in my life because I'm not a complete sucker. Imagine if we took that 1.9B and invested it into improving our society.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Give it to me

by Anonymous 2 years ago

And lottery proceeds are FAR less transparent than tax proceeds, so everybody wins!

by Anonymous 2 years ago

What if the IRS entered you into a lottery when you filed your taxes. So for every dollar you pay in taxes you get so many entries into a lottery where you win Millions. They could do all sorts of prizes. Make tax paying like the lottery. Your winnings would be tax free of course.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I happily pay my taxes. I would be even more willing to do so if it had the chance to make me a billionaire. Hell in my country people pay $20-$30 for a chance at a million.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I have more chances on winning the lotto than I do paying taxes towards something I support

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Because one of those $2 actually gives you a tiny tangible piece of hope that you could be a fat cat some day, instead of $2 getting misused/wasted/lining another fat cats wallet

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If I could choose for my taxes to go to the lottery, if it meant increasing my odds of winning and entering me into it, I would do that.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

of which we will pay at least 75% of in taxes. but we'd rather spend money on our own will rather than it being stolen from us.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Because the lottery benefits ONLY me. I sure wouldn't like to pay for anything thar benefits my AND others!

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I'd rather burn a pile of money than give it to the government

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I don't know how to play the lottery. And yet somehow I feel like my odds of winning it are exactly the same whether I play or not.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Ya, because taxes are like "give me your 2 dollars and in return you will get -39 cents of value returned to you through our national debt and ridiculous overspending"

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If I had a choice in where my tax went then I'd care but I'm in Australia funding an army that has only ever had go fight for other people

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Difference is that I have more of a chance of winning the lottery than of my tax money going where I want it to go.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

then they should give out free lottery tickets every time you pay taxes for important things. win win

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Not sure anywhere has a 1.9 ‘BILLION' dollar lottery… M maybe not B

by Anonymous 2 years ago

You're wrong.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

That's assuming everyone wastes their money on a snowball's chance in hell of winning.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Lotteries are extra taxes for people who dont understand or ignore basic math.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

As someone who pays roughly 37-39% where I live, this is a lie. I'm happy that I pay a lot of taxes so that people who don't have much can get free education, healthcare and help. This sounds more like US defaultism.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Bruh if ure american a lot of your taxes go straight into weapons and war

by Anonymous 2 years ago

You are welcome.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

"You're not rich, why do you care?" "Because one day I might be, then people like me had better watch out!"

by Anonymous 2 years ago

So what you're saying is that we're not willing to pay $2 extra in taxes but will happily pay $2 in taxes

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Im sorry but does my pasta give me a chance of becoming rich ? No ? Shutup

by Anonymous 2 years ago

The lottery would take care of our needs. The problem.is most people don't feel taxes are used to fulfill their basic needs, like safe roads, bridges, and other infrastructure. If you don't spend what I gave you on what I need, why would I give you more?

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Very important we get more money to kill more people, duh who dosent just love pouring monet into to military complex.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

If for every $2 I pay in taxes there was a chance (even infinitesimal) that I could win $1.9b, I might complain less (might)!😜

by Anonymous 2 years ago

I think it's because you're more likely to get something from the lottery than paying taxes lol

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Few people really wanna change the system. Most people just want a higher place within it

by Anonymous 2 years ago

The lottery ticket is a one time event that I have an option to pay or not. The small tax will have to be paid over and over again, and I have no choice in paying it, even if I disagree with it. Undoubtedly it will grow by small increments into a larger amount.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

and now you have a grasp of the problem-it really isn't about the politicians it's the people

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Taxes goes to rich pieces of trash. Lotto money does the same thing.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Well in reality you'll get like $400 million. The next day the government announces $1.5 billion in funding for Ukraine.

by Anonymous 2 years ago

Yeah because Repuglicans have no real understanding of what socialism actually is...

by Anonymous 2 years ago