Mexico’s Rich Don’t Like To Pay Taxes – They Think You Should

[Matter-Eater Lad]

Mexico’s Rich Don’t Like To Pay Taxes – They Think You Should

 

By Brenda Walker

 

[More by Brenda Walker]

 

“Poor Mexico, so far from God, so close to the United States" is an early example of the now-familiar annoying whine, first voiced by Mexican President Porfirio Diaz .

 

Pathetic loser, mooch, social basket case, criminal narco-state: these are Americans' mental pictures of Mexico.

 

But more than any other, the image is one of staggering poverty. Anyone who has been to a Mexican border town is immediately overwhelmed by the Third World - the oppressive dirt, decay, too many underfed children.

 

However, the truth is that Mexico is a very wealthy country. It is blessed with abundant natural resources and a fortunate location. Mexico is the richest nation in Latin America when measured by GDP, and by a wide margin: in 2001, Mexico's GDP was the highest in Latin America, a substantial 22.5 percent more than runner-up Brazil. When GDP per capita is the gauge, Mexico is second only behind Argentina.

 

Half of all Latin American billionaires, 11 out of 22, are Mexicans.

 

Mexico is the quintessential banana republic—a corrupt oligarchy of arrogant rich, a tiny middle class and millions of poor people, around half of whom live in poverty.

 

But Mexico is not poor overall. It has the resources to improve itself.

 

Economist Gary Hufbauer of the Institute for International Economics recently noted that Mexico has tax collections that amount to only 14 percent of the country's gross domestic profit, compared with the U.S. level of 25 to 28 percent.

 

Hubauer’s conclusion: "Basically the wealthy classes do not want to tax themselves, period."

 

Hufbauer further remarked:

 

"Basic social services and infrastructure are awfully lean for a country that wants to move ahead. While I'm not usually an advocate for larger government, Mexico is a country where public investment, done wisely, could pay huge dividends."

 

Arguably, with adequate taxation of its freeloader rich, Mexico could follow the example of the Asian tiger nations and invest its way into economic progress by building industrial infrastructure and educating its workforce. The recent loss of Mexican jobs to China was partially due to the lack of capital spending on education, ports, roads and industrial parks.

 

But investment would cost money. And Mexico refuses to take responsibility for the social needs of its population. It's so much easier to let the Americans care for Mexico's poor.

 

Indeed, the Mexican propaganda war to convince Americans of the need to support poor Mexico has been largely successful.

 

Washington's current degree of solicitude for the well being of Mexicans is quite astonishing, particularly at a time when Americans are suffering the highest unemployment in nine years. Congress and the President are considering various welfare packages for Mexico; such as Sen. McCain's "guest worker" plan (where the "guests" never leave).

 

On July 10, the Senate passed a bill to provide $100 million in microloans for the poorest regions of Mexico. It's stunning that Congress would vote to provide financial aid to wealthy Mexico when 47 U.S. states have severe budget deficits and federal red ink is the highest ever.

 

Central to Mexican strategy is maintaining the billions of dollars in remittance money flowing south, thereby keeping a lid on social unrest among the masses. In that way, the oligarchy preserves its enormous power and riches.

 

The immigration scam is very successful: the rulers export their unemployment to the United States and get back billions in remittance cash annually— 2003 is on track to rack up a record $11 billion.

 

Talk about easy money: the worse the oligarchy run the country, the more people leave and send back money.

 

Furthermore, every social service for illegal aliens and legal immigrants financed by the American taxpayer—medical care, K-12 education, college tuition breaks, housing vouchers and food stamps—frees up more money for remittances.

 

Recent surveys show half of Latino immigrants send money home, with a monthly average amount of $250.

 

Mexico's propaganda effort is helped enormously by the annual carnage of unprepared walkers who die in the desert as they illegally cross into the U.S. Predictably, the May death of 19 people in an unventilated truck in Texas incited anti-borders extremists to pile blame on American immigration law.

 

Mexico would prefer that all its excess workers could cross an unenforced border to keep remittance dollars flowing.

 

Washington is currently focused on building democracy in Iraq at a cost of $4 billion per month. But should this effort really be at the top of our national priorities?

 

A much smaller investment could bring our southern border under control and would lower the threat of terrorists entering there. The expanding power of lawless elements in Mexican society, e.g. narco-traffickers, must be recognized as a security threat - particularly with recent reports of connections between Mexican drug cartels and terrorists, including al Qaeda. Border control is now critical to national security.

 

There's no reason why Mexico cannot evolve from being a parasite state into an adult nation. Washington was optimistic when opposition party candidate Vicente Fox won the presidency.

 

But the Fox administration has only displayed more of the same tiresome dependence.

 

Apparently the current system is just too easy and profitable for the insatiable ruling class.

 

Tough immigration enforcement from the United States is the only way to force Mexico to get its act together.

 

If Mr. Bush still thinks of Vicente Fox as his good friend, the President will help wean his pal from the distasteful immigration addiction that keeps Mexico mired in the Third World.

 

Tough love - border and interior enforcement – is the true expression of caring.

 

Faced with the unavoidable necessity of fixing their country, Mexicans would have to insist that the country be run for the benefit of all - not for the gluttonous few.

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I agree with this to some degree. Mexico has all it needs to be a modern nation without many poor, but corruption that America is allowing is hurting them.

[berrywoman]

have you ever been to Mexico?

[RICK8]

I have not..and wouldn't want to..:thinking:

[Ryujiki]

The full article is interesting,and yeah in Mexico we have a lots of needs,but the image that other people have from us is really different.

 

At least in the place I live is one of the most important cities in Mexico,(I think we are the most important,but like we are not the capital city,so anyway).

 

We have more oil than many other countries and we have a lot of natural resourses.

 

And we are the bridge or commerce of other latinamerican countries.

 

About the taxes,I guess is true.

The medium class in Mexico are the only who pay they taxes.The rich ones should pay more in order to have a balance.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

have you ever been to Mexico?

 

Have you?

 

it matters not if we have been, they are dumping their poor on us and other immigrants are coming in shooting up an already high crime rate, putting economic strain on us and allowing terrorist to come it....there is no postive to this situation just alot of negative.

[Matter-Eater Lad]

The full article is interesting,and yeah in Mexico we have a lots of needs,but the image that other people have from us is really different.

 

At least in the place I live is one of the most important cities in Mexico,(I think we are the most important,but like we are not the capital city,so anyway).

 

We have more oil than many other countries and we have a lot of natural resourses.

 

And we are the bridge or commerce of other latinamerican countries.

 

About the taxes,I guess is true.

The medium class in Mexico are the only who pay they taxes.The rich ones should pay more in order to have a balance.

 

Your nation has all it needs to be a 1st world country but corruption and dumping its people into america is stopping this. The people of Mexico deserve a better nation and government, they need to change the problem not leave.

[Ryujiki]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

1- When you said America what do you mean?

Cause I live in America.And we do not send the people,they choose to go there and take jobs that nodoby in Usa wants.There are a lots of jobs here and is up to them to go there.

 

2- Of course is important is you have ever been in Mexico,cause you need bases to make a jugdement and I could not make a judgement if I do not know what I am talking about.

[Lore]

 

it matters not if we have been, they are dumping their poor on us and other immigrants are coming in shooting up an already high crime rate, putting economic strain on us and allowing terrorist to come it....there is no postive to this situation just alot of negative.

 

why do some united states' people think like that.. like you're the best people in the world.. like all the foreign people who goes to your country are criminals... maybe you watch too much bad movies where mexican and all the another latin people are the drunk people and the bad ones...

 

seriously... we're more than that

 

and about terrorism... we all know that there's many usa's terrorists out there... not every bad person in your country is from another places...

[Lore]

Your nation has all it needs to be a 1st world country but corruption and dumping its people into america is stopping this. The people of Mexico deserve a better nation and government' date=' they need to change the problem not leave.[/quote']

 

how will you tell that to a poor family who only thinks in get a better life in another country??

 

how will you tell them that they have to wait until the mexican nation fix the problem... the government needs losts of years to fix that

 

I know that leave the problems and go to another place is not the best way to do something.. but I guess you've never been in a poor place where everyone wants to leave because the situation is really bad and they don't see any cure for that

[berrywoman]

why do some united states' people think like that.. like you're the best people in the world.. like all the foreign people who goes to your country are criminals... maybe you watch too much bad movies where mexican and all the another latin people are the drunk people and the bad ones...

 

seriously... we're more than that

 

and about terrorism... we all know that there's many usa's terrorists out there... not every bad person in your country is from another places...

 

 

they think like that because their idiots... :) closed minded ingmorant fools who have no regard for imigrants who want to make a better life for themselves and families....

 

 

I completely agree with you loretitus, we have a lot of culture and heritage in our hispanic community, some people just feel threatened by that.... that soon the majority will become the minority, and they fear that.... I think this is why we have some of these idiots who feel like that.

[brandon313]

let me start off with saying, the girl ive been dating for a a year and a few months is an immigrant from Equador, legal, but non the less an immigrant. But i do have to say that illegal immigration is wrong no matter how you spin in. the families less fortunate to be born where they are have my sympathy. But it doesnt change the fact that there are laws, everyone else has to follow them (immigrants and citizens). Why should borders just be open to everyone! do you know what that would do to our country??

 

We are a nation of immigrants and i am proud of my heritage, but they followed the rules, they came here the way EVERYONE who wasnt born here, has to come. Illegal immigrants clog the social system, and its not very smart for them either. An illegal alien may make 2 bucks an hour when if he came legally he could have made at least 5.50 (minimum wage here).

 

Im just saying, look at it this way. a family of illegals comes across the border. the male gets a job for 2 dollars an hour. every week he gets paid in cash under the table, so he doesnt pay taxes on income like everyone else. Then he gets in a car wreck with no insurance. then his wife or girlfriend is pregnant and gives birth, the boy is now a citizen even though his parents didnt follow the rules, and we have to pay for all of the things these people did wrong, when they could have just followed the rules LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.

 

this isnt anarchy, there are rules here

[berrywoman]

Viva Ecuador! I'm 1/2 Ecua myself... 1/2 Puerto Rican.... :) and born in Brooklyn

[brandon313]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

1- When you said America what do you mean?

Cause I live in America.And we do not send the people,they choose to go there and take jobs that nodoby in Usa wants.There are a lots of jobs here and is up to them to go there.

 

2- Of course is important is you have ever been in Mexico,cause you need bases to make a jugdement and I could not make a judgement if I do not know what I am talking about.

 

 

Your arguement about taking jobs nobody wants is not true, the reason illegals even GET those jobs is because they are willing to work for a half or a quarter of what an american citizen is REQUIRED to make. I know plenty of people that are jobless or work in fields where many illegals are hired who say the whole "americans think they are too good to do these jobs" story is nothing but bs.

 

There are plenty of people here who have no problem rolling up their sleeves

[brandon313]

hahaha quite a mix you have there!! i have the pleasure of knowing a full blooded costa rican girl born in Canada! hahaha. With my gf being from Equador, i get to meet quite a few people from quite a few spanish backgrounds. haha they all stick together over here!