Current Events > Deutsche Bank proposes "privilege tax" for people who WFH

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https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/12/deutsche-bank-proposes-a-5percent-tax-for-remote-workers-post-pandemic.html

A research team at Deutsche Bank proposed that people pay a 5% tax for the "privilege" of working from home, if they continue to do so after the pandemic, as this could subsidize income lost by lower-earners due to the coronavirus crisis.
Deutsche Bank thematic strategist Luke Templeman said in the investment bank's Konzept research report, published Tuesday, that a tax on remote workers had been needed for years but "Covid has just made it obvious."

Working from home meant that many people were saving on everyday costs such as travel, lunch, clothes and cleaning, as well as possibly spending less on socializing. However, the report also said it meant remote workers were "contributing less to the infrastructure of the economy whilst still receiving its benefits."
Templeman said remote workers should pay a levy post-pandemic "in order to smooth the transition process for those who have suddenly been displaced" by the coronavirus crisis.

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Templeman said that some people would oppose the proposed tax, arguing that "engagement with the economy is a personal choice and they should not be penalised for making that decision."
However, he highlighted that governments had always "backsolved taxes to suit the social environment."
Subsidizing businesses that had no long-term future in this shift toward "human disconnection" made no sense for governments, Templeman said, but supporting workers who had been "displaced by forces out outside their control" while they retrain or figure out their next steps did.
Therefore, he said, workers "lucky enough to be in a position to 'disconnect' themselves from the face-to-face economy owe it to them."

Fair, next if this starts gaining traction? I mean this was inevitable in the grand scheme of things as everyone's scouring for remote admin and data entry jobs far more than low paying, "essential" retail jobs.

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If I were a company known for financing the Holocaust, Donald Trump, and Jeffrey Epstein, I would try not saying stupid shit publicly.
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Tax the poor more as well.

As long as the rich who won't notice the increase in tax don't pay, that's what matters here.

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FursonaNonGrata posted...

FursonaNonGrata posted...

guy in the picture is flipping me off....
if the hayes office would let me. i'll give him the bird alright :(.
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At first i thought this was just ridiculous, but the reasoning sorta makes sense to me. Even as a junior level cubicle jockey, you're far far FAR more privileged than people working at grocery stores.

Tax the company 2/3rds of the sum, and tax the employee 1/3. Because companies receive so many concessions from employees (infrastructure, computers, internet usage, etc) in WFH scenarios. You need to make it a true luxury for the company. Otherwise they will take, take, and take some more. Until they're done with you, or can replace you for cheaper, then out the door ya go!

Sounds dumb
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bullshit.

I spent more on all utilities and use more data while working from home.

fuck these german pencilpushers

cuh posted...

I thought the point was to incentivize work from home so people can finally move away from congested city centers and stabilize home prices

It's severely complicated given the general purpose of controlling covid outbreaks and being safe, but at the same time the country still needs to function through jobs that can't be performed at home either. There's no solution that will make everyone happy.

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Ok fine if pay doesn't get cut because you work from home

...which won't happen

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Naysaspace posted...

Tax the company 2/3rds of the sum, and tax the employee 1/3.

Oh look, everyone's WFH job is now outsourced

That poor bank is probably struggling to get by.

I bet the peeps on the board are out there shaking cups for marks on the streets as we speak.

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It makes sense because
Naysaspace posted...

Even as a junior level cubicle jockey, you're far far FAR more privileged than people working at grocery stores.

this is the absolute truth. I have to risk my health and the health of my family every damn day just to keep a roof over my head.

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Maybe the Deutsche bank should stop protecting criminals before it attacks the middle class.

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Why not tax someone who rides the bus, because he's not contributing to gas taxes or the occasional traffic ticket, or the economies of auto sales and car insurance?

See how stupid that is? So is a WFH tax.

Flauros posted...

That poor bank is probably struggling to get by.

I bet the peeps on the board are out there shaking cups for marks on the streets as we speak.

lol

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Godnorgosh posted...

Or, tax the fucking rich.

But that won't result in enough money...

Raising taxes for everyone is unavoidable if you do want to increase taxes for universal health care or free college for example

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Back in the day, banks used to have enough dignity to peddle this sort of thing through lobbyists.

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Questionmarktarius posted...

Why not tax someone who rides the bus, because he's not contributing to gas taxes or the occasional traffic ticket, or the economies of auto sales and car insurance?

See how stupid that is? So is a WFH tax.

This, pretty much. The article is right - taxing individuals based on their engagement with the economy is dumb in part because it's impossible to identify an objectively "acceptable" level of engagement.

Simpler alternative is to increase securities transaction taxes - make money off of those who made money in the stock market.

Antifar posted...

If I were a company known for financing the Holocaust, Donald Trump, and Jeffrey Epstein, I would try not saying stupid shit publicly.

Yeah, this.

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The people wanted a Democrat in charge, things like this are what we get.

Meanwhile people who don't even work and instead sit around collecting dividends from stocks are taxed even less than at regular income tax rates.

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Godnorgosh posted...

Or, tax the fucking rich.

1337toothbrush posted...

Meanwhile people who don't even work and instead sit around collecting dividends from stocks are taxed even less than at regular income tax rates.

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Well if you want people to start resisting WFH and shutdowns even more this is a great way to do it.

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