# Allegory on the tax situation **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 26, 2004, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allegory-on-the-tax-situation/226124 "2004-01-26T07:39:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Agape](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@Agape](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agape)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allegory-on-the-tax-situation/226124/1 "2004-01-26T07:39:13Z")
A while ago, I came across a story that I found amusing. It tells of ten guys that go out each week for dinner together. Trying to be fair, they pay according to how much each person makes. The poorest guy eats for free, the next guy pays a small amount, the next guy pays a little more, etc. Then the restaurant decides to lower its prices, and messes up the guys’ payment system. Everybody wants a piece of the discount and they argue and fight over it. My memory gets hazy at this point; I don’t know what happens next, but at the end the richest guy is out of the picture and the nine remaining guys don’t have enough money to pay for next week’s meal. Where can I find a full version of this tale? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allegory-on-the-tax-situation/226124/2 "2004-01-26T11:00:10Z")
This seems more like an allegory about socialism than taxation: from each according to his ability, to each according to his need. ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allegory-on-the-tax-situation/226124/3 "2004-01-26T14:01:07Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > This seems more like an allegory about socialism than taxation: from each according to his ability, to each according to his need. I had it sent to me a couple years ago. Quite clever. The point is that by giving the poor people a free ride, and taxing the rich person heavily, it’s unfair to the rich, and if the rich person takes off because of this, everyone’s up the creek. Supposed to justify non-progressive taxation I suppose. It was a flawed analogy, but well-done. ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allegory-on-the-tax-situation/226124/4 "2004-01-26T14:02:49Z")
Or you could just google and find it in about 10 seconds instead of wasting the SDMB’s time. [http://www.webforums.com/forums/n-read/msa22.381.html](http://www.webforums.com/forums/n-read/msa22.381.html) [http://www.taxfoundation.org/foundationmessage11-02.html](http://www.taxfoundation.org/foundationmessage11-02.html) [http://www.geocities.com/thepolemic/tenthman.html](http://www.geocities.com/thepolemic/tenthman.html) [http://www.netnavel.com/taxes.htm](http://www.netnavel.com/taxes.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allegory-on-the-tax-situation/226124/5 "2004-01-26T15:43:22Z")
> [@muttrox](#): > > I had it sent to me a couple years ago. Quite clever. The point is that by giving the poor people a free ride, and taxing the rich person heavily, it’s unfair to the rich, and if the rich person takes off because of this, everyone’s up the creek. Supposed to justify non-progressive taxation I suppose. > > It was a flawed analogy, but well-done. Thanks for the links. Could you explain the flaw? I wouldn`t call it a flaw, maybe simplistic if anything. The numbers are off slightly on a percentage basis but the overall idea is correct. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allegory-on-the-tax-situation/226124/6 "2004-01-26T16:21:13Z")
> [@whuckfistle](#): > > Thanks for the links. Could you explain the flaw? When is the last time a rich guy took four poor people out for lunch and didn’t ask for anything in return? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2004, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allegory-on-the-tax-situation/226124/7 "2004-01-26T18:03:26Z")
True, it is flawed. If the example were correct, the poor ones would’ve gotten better meals than the rich guy. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allegory-on-the-tax-situation/226124/8 "2004-01-27T01:50:34Z")
> [@muttrox](#): > > … The point is that by giving the poor people a free ride, and taxing the rich person heavily, it’s unfair to the rich, and if the rich person takes off because of this, everyone’s up the creek. Supposed to justify non-progressive taxation I suppose. > > It was a flawed analogy, but well-done. If you’re Ayn Rand you believe this. If you’re Karl Marx you believe that the workers can send everyone up the creek by laying down their shovels. As with most things, the truth is somewhere in between. ---
**Author:** ![Diz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Diz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diz)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allegory-on-the-tax-situation/226124/9 "2004-01-27T04:06:55Z")
It is flawed because it is based only on income tax, which is progressive in nature. As you may or may not have noticed, income taxes are hardly the only taxes we pay. Many of our other taxes are regressive in nature, like the sales tax, or are taxes that the rich pay a much smaller share of, like payroll taxes. The tax system is far too complex to be represented by such a simple analogy. ---
**Author:** ![msgotrocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8edcca/32.png) [@msgotrocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msgotrocks)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allegory-on-the-tax-situation/226124/10 "2004-01-27T06:24:59Z")
The main flaw I see is also, admittedly, simplistic: How does the 10th guy just not show up (pay taxes) in the end? Mr. Gotrocks and I aren’t paying taxes because we like to. We can’t just decide to stop one day. We pay taxes because we’re both too pretty to go to prison. ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allegory-on-the-tax-situation/226124/11 "2004-01-27T13:11:27Z")
> [@msgotrocks](#): > > The main flaw I see is also, admittedly, simplistic: How does the 10th guy just not show up (pay taxes) in the end? Mr. Gotrocks and I aren’t paying taxes because we like to. We can’t just decide to stop one day. We pay taxes because we’re both too pretty to go to prison. See the large number of corporations that are essentially US Corporations that are now incorporating overseas. A fair amount of private US citizens are also becoming citizens of other countries for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allegory-on-the-tax-situation/226124/12 "2004-01-27T13:52:47Z")
According to some posters, thanks to GW Bush the diswasher is paying the tax for all 10 diners.