Let me state first that I have never served in the military.
Idea; I don't care if you've only served in combat for 30 seconds, you then are officially tax exempt for life. Any service where one offers their life in defense of their country should never have to pay income tax ever again.
This is a win win for the government too because this idea secures many more willing to serve and it's the least that can be done for them when you consider what they've done for us.
Straight "non combat" service would not secure the full exemption but that individual should be taxed at a much lower rate than those who have not served..-- jon3, Apr 06 2003 +.-- Guncrazy, Apr 06 2003 As one who's served in the U.S. military during war, I have to pan this idea. The fact of the matter is that many armed service members' lives are never threatened, even during full-scale war.
"...this idea secures many more willing to serve..." This doesn't confront the military. If it needs more warm bodies than volunteer, the government intitutes a draft.
Now if you were to change the idea to pertain to retired (lifetime service) military, I'd change my vote. Retirees are treated embarassingly poorly in the U.S.. As a rule, it's not a career path someone with another choice would take.-- phoenix, Apr 06 2003 I (sort of) agree with the sentiment, but can't agree with the idea. Would Policemen get the same tax break? Or Firemen? After all, they also put themselves in hazardous situations and risk life and limb for the sake of us civillians...
Somehow it means more to me that servicemen are willing to lay down their lives through personal choice rather than for any monetary advantage.-- lostdog, Apr 06 2003 Didn't you know that? - Why, in the good ol' USA, by the time you're out of boot camp, you're a millionaire.-- thumbwax, Apr 07 2003 Just while your on about military stuff and money, something I heard the other day....
Cost of war in Iraq to the American taxpayer. (initial congressional funding so far aproved) = $76 billion
Population of iraq = 24 million (12 million are 15 yrs. or below)
$76 billion divided between 24million = $3000 ish each.
Average per capita income in Iraq. depending on source = anything from$450 - $1036
Perhaps Bush and Blair could have paid Sadaam a billion to bugger off and distributed some of the rest to his downtrodden oppressed population. Rather than totally twatting the country with their weapons of mass destruction leaving a gigantic repair bill and the liberated people (inc. the 12 MILLION CHILDREN!!!) of Iraq, desperatly searching for food and water and medical supplies. call me an idealist (and I'm sure someone will) but I can't help but feel that the human race has taken a giant leap backwards, allowing the so called leaders of the 'civilised', democratic nations of the early 21st. century to think that the way to sort out a problem, is to drop high explosives (theres NOTHING 'smart' about a bomb) onto soft squishy human beings.
I think we have set evolution back a bit with this fiasco. We should all share in the shame of this crime.-- briandamage, Apr 07 2003 Then that makes *you* guilty of mass murder of Kurds, Shiites...-- thumbwax, Apr 07 2003 T'wax. how on earth do you come up with a dumb statement like that? I am not guilty of murdering anyone. No don't bother answering, theres too much bad feeling on the planet at the mo', as it is, without you telling me that you think that bombing people is a 'good' plan.-- briandamage, Apr 07 2003 braindamage: What would you have done after Saddam took your money, said "Thank you very much", and continued to oppress his people and pocket all of the aid that was supposed to be going to them?-- supercat, Apr 07 2003 random, halfbakery