Bolivian Mine Tax Hurts Mining Co-ops
This report, dated February 7th, is written by Dorothy Kosich for the precious metals website Mineweb.net.
The neo-Marxist regime in Bolivia, headed by Chavez ally Evo Morales, wants to increase a tax levied on all foreign mining companies. The tax hike, however, would also effect independent small miners, of whom 55,000 belong to mining co-operatives.
Over 20,000 miners protested in La Paz the capital on February 6th.
Distributism respects co-operatives, which form a vital part of a de-centralized economy. What the Morales regime is doing is wrong and must be opposed in a vigorous manner.
3 comments:
I agree, but you have to ask the question of how wealthy these independent co-ops are and whether they are open to employing the natives.
If they aren't, I don't see why he's doing it -- unless he's only incidentally hitting these co-ops in the attempt to hit the bigger companies.
Perhaps he should focus the policy more: foreign companies which are x size, perhaps.
I long for the day when most nations will tax all businesses and individuals at roughly the same rate. I'm tired of see-sawing government favoritism toward diverse special interests. Indeed, abuses by foreign corporations ought to be ended, but if goods can be produced more cheaply with the foreign businesses, they should be. The standard of living will then rise, as it did during the Industrial Revolution.
The only possible means for business to produce cheaply overseas is to both cut jobs in the country they originate in, as well as keep the conditions low for the people who live in those overseas locations.
Living standards can not increase in this nation, or any other one for that matter, where production is minimized or ceases to exist. On the contrary, living standards decrease where ownership of small business is obliterated and we are forced to work as employees in the very business attempting to downsize, cut costs, and export labour in exchange for a cheaper product.
I think E.F. Schumacher said 'economic science' doesn't discuss 'quality of life', the very factor necessary when considering human beings versus simple material. The thing in any discussion about living standards.
Post a Comment