Michael Bloomberg: Increasing Taxes on The Poor Is Good Because They'll Live Longer
2020 hopeful gives bizarre theory on raising taxes for those below poverty line
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Billionaire presidential primary candidate Michael Bloomberg doesn't seem to be seeking the hearts of working-class voters if his recent remarks on taxes are anything to go by.
The former New York mayor seems to be so out of touch with reality, that he believes taxes are a sort of mystical life-giving force.
During an interview with the International Monetary Fund, the 2020 hopeful insisted that a portion of the American population would benefit from paying more taxes - those who are living below the poverty line.
But is Bloomberg’s bizarre stance on raising taxes on the poor a workable strategy? Well, no.
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But it would allow the government more control over the behavior of low-income Americans.
“Some people say, ‘Well, taxes are regressive.’ But in this case, yes they are,” Bloomberg told Christine Lagarde, then-managing director of the IMF, in April 2018.
“That’s the good thing about them because the problem is in people that don’t have a lot of money," he said.
"And so, higher taxes should have a bigger impact on their behavior and how they deal with themselves.
“So, I listen to people saying, ‘Oh, we don’t want to tax the poor.’ Well, we want the poor to live longer so that they can get an education and enjoy life.
“And that’s why you do want to do exactly what a lot of people say you don’t want to do.”
“If you raise taxes on full sugary drinks, for example,” Bloomberg added.
“They will drink less, and there’s just no question that full sugar drinks are one of the major contributors to obesity, and obesity is one of the major contributors to heart disease and cancer and a variety of other things.”
“When we raise taxes on the poor, it’s good because then the poor will live longer because they can’t afford as many things that kill them.”
— Rob O'Donnell (@odonnell_r) November 28, 2019
~Nanny State Mayor Bloomberg pic.twitter.com/23p443ieg4
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It seems the billionaire's notion that the system of taxation that gives the government de facto control over the poor's everyday lives.
On Friday, billionaire BET founder Robert Johnson said that there is currently no suitable Democratic candidate capable of beating President Donald Trump in 2020, and he may be correct if the Bloomberg is seen as their last hope.
Johnson, a lifelong Democrat and also America’s first black billionaire, admitted the Trump economy is too strong, and the president's ability “to dominate the news cycle” is making it difficult for Democratic challengers to focus.
“If you take a snapshot today, I don’t think that group is capable of beating Donald Trump despite what the polls say,” Johnson told CNBC.
“I do not see anybody in the Democratic primary race today that is enough in the center where I believe most of the voters are, and I particularly think where most of the African American voters are,” he added.
