A Stitch in Haste

...then they came to tax the burger eaters...

...then they came to tax the soda drinkers...

...then they came to tax the workaholics:

Tax policy may moderate workaholism, just as cigarette excise taxes can curtail smoking, says a University of Michigan economist.

"High-income, highly educated people are particularly likely to suffer from workaholism with regard to deciding when to retire — going cold turkey on their addictive behavior," said [Professor] Joel Slemrod...

Workaholism, he says, has been linked to a variety of health problems, including exhaustion, stress and high blood pressure, and can take an emotional and mental toll on a worker's family.

Unlike cigarette excise taxes, which are highly regressive ... the appropriate corrective policy for workaholics — who tend to make more money — might involve a more progressive income tax burden ... Slemrod says.

As for me personally, I intend to retire as soon as is economically possible (if for no other reason than to free up my time to feed my other "addiction" — perhaps the next jackass proposal will be a blogging tax).

In any case, I can certainly understand if other people decide to "work until they drop." That doesn't mean that they are "addicted to work" Maybe they're just addicted to a paycheck. Or maybe they don't find the idea of sitting around doing nothing all day appealing.

One way or the other, why should the choice not to retire be summarily dismissed as "workaholism" or an "addiction"? And why should we care one way or the other? If people want to work, contribute to the economy and pay taxes in the process, then so much the better, right? What's the issue?

Oh, right. The issue is yet another excuse to raise taxes and to make them even more progressive than they already are.

Kip's Law: Every advocate of central planning always — always — envisions himself as the central planner.

(Via Fark — which can also be addictive, so let's tax it. More thoughts from defcon:blog)