{"id":4165,"date":"2022-02-08T11:01:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T16:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kathryncolleen.com\/studio\/?post_type=project&p=4165"},"modified":"2026-08-07T17:59:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:59:55","slug":"taxes-a-governments-way-of-discouraging-your-behavior","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/kathryncolleen.com\/studio\/project\/taxes-a-governments-way-of-discouraging-your-behavior\/","title":{"rendered":"Taxes –\u00a0A Government\u2019s Way Of Discouraging Your Behavior\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
The more something costs, the less likely you are to buy it, right? Therefore, one way to discourage people from buying something is to tax it more heavily than other products. For example, when the United States government wanted to discourage people from smoking, they simply increased the taxes on cigarettes to the point that most smokers chose to quit, or to smoke less, just because of the cost. There was also a widespread advertising campaign. But the cost is what really got their attention. Ultimately, taxes contributed to a change in public behavior. Want people to drive less? Increase taxes on gasoline. Want people to earn less? Increase taxes on larger incomes. You get the idea. Whatever you tax more, people will choose less. That includes products, services, and even their own income.<\/div>\n
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If you increase property taxes, people will choose to not own property. For example, in some localities, you pay a tax every year or every six months for the privilege of owning a vehicle. Just the fact that you own it, means you have to pay money to the local government. Let\u2019s pick on Loudoun County, Virginia in the United States. As of 2020, the amount you owe is based on the value and age of the car. If you own a nice expensive new car, your taxes will be high. If you own an old car, or a cheap car, your taxes will be low. If you own a car that is more than 25 years old, your taxes will be zero. So what do you think people will choose? They choose the antique car first, or an older or cheaper car next. The luxury new car is the least popular. Their behavior was shaped by the tax structure.<\/div>\n
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Consider the following questions:<\/div>\n
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