Just saw a Wheel of Fortune episode, and Pat and Vanna are broadcasting from the Azores

[Goodheart]

How do you feel about corporations/people being able to write off luxury visits as operating expenses? There is absolutely no need for that game show to conduct a competition outside their home studio.

My take: under a national sales/consumption tax system, instead of an income tax system, that sort of question would disappear.

[spooky3]

1. Sales taxes are generally more regressive than well-designed income

Taxes.

[Goodheart]

2. I've had this discussion many times.

They don't have to be.

[Funtatlaguy]

3. I used to love that show until I learned that Pat is a big right winger.

[Goodheart]

4. Just like tonight's contestant: I want his job!

Ridiculously easy. And unlike Richard Dawson or Steve Harvey he has zero charisma.

[CurtEastPoint]

5. Also he is a dominionist (believes govt should be run by krisschinz or some such shit)

[former9thward]

6. Everything a president does can be done from inside the White House.

Does that mean the president should never make appearances outside? When a president does that it is almost always for photo ops and publicity. So what?

TV shows break up their routines to keep fan interest. And well they should. Maybe you want to watch the same show in the same set over and over but the rest of us don't.

[masmdu]

7. Pat also gave us herpes, I mean Limbaugh

[Sky Jewels]

8. I hope the Wheel of Fortune rolls over that asshole Sajak and flatten him like a pancake.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

9. Secular Humanism?

[Sky Jewels]

10. TBH, I'm more of a feline-ist than a humanist.

And, as a cat worshipper, I guess I'm not exactly secular, either. All Hail the One True God, Bastet.

I hope Bastet smites that POS Sajak.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

11. Wishing people violent and painful deaths is kinda off-putting.

Think I'll avoid this religion.

[Sky Jewels]

12. Lol.

You must be fun at parties.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

13. Look who's talking.

Eeek!

[Sky Jewels]

14. Do you always take every comment so literally and seriously?

I mean, how exactly would a Wheel of Fortune crush Sajak like a pancake? In what circumstance would this actually happen?

Jesus, I have a hard time dealing with people who have zero sense of humor.

Have a great night.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

16. So funny.

Not.

[Sky Jewels]

17. I'm sure it offends you when your conservative heroes are dissed.

But, ya know, you might wanna lighten up a tad and stop scolding everyone on this site for not toeing the corporate-right line like you do.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

19. Uncalledful lies and insults offend me.

[HAB911]

24. Welcome to the Pearl Clutcher's Society

[Sky Jewels]

30. Yes indeed.

[jcgoldie]

15. am with you

Fuck Pat Sajak.

[Sky Jewels]

18. ...

[GulfCoast66]

20. I'm assuming the Azores paid for the entire thingy. To get tourists.

I’ve heard it’s a cool place to visit. But hard to get to.

My question. Why do you care?

And your tax question makes absolutely no sense. Sales taxes are the most regressive taxes in existence. They tax the poor at the same rate as the rich.

[ZonkerHarris]

23. thats why these shows go to Disneyworldland all the time too. Money

[Goodheart]

34. Been over this multiple times.

Replacing our income tax system with a sales/consumption tax system with certain credits and including certain items at particular-to-that-item rates would not necessarily be regressive. In fact, it would guarantee that many corporations and individuals who pay no taxes at all currently would begin to.

[Zeitghost]

21. These kinds of things

Are generally sponsored by tourism councils and there are valid business reasons to keep viewers engaged.

That said, I take advantage of work travel where I can. If it's someplace nice I try to fly in a few days early or leave a few days late and bring my wife along. My employer also books retreats and team building trips in nice places. It's a nice perk.


Generally I see threads complaining about corporations treating employees like robots with no care to their quality of life or work place environment. Now we have a thread complaining about a corporation taking the entire operation to someplace nice for a week instead of using the standard production location.

I'm sure Pat an Vanna had a great time, but so did the cameramen, production assistants and the rest of the blue collar production crew. I'm sure it breaks up the week to week monotony of any job and is something they look forward to.

[GulfCoast66]

22. Right. My wife's gig got me China trips

My wife spent several months working in China. I was able to visit twice, once on her company’s dime. Saw the wall, forbidden palace and Shanghai. And other stuff.

Maybe this is an issue I should be concerned about. But I don’t see how.

Yeah, maybe the host is an asshole. But I bet the crew loved it. The Azores are on my list to visit. Have been for a while. But Portugal first.

[TxGuitar]

27. Would they take the crew or just the hosts?

Wouldn't they use a local crew in far off places? I don't have a clue myself but it seems like a logical thing.

[Zeitghost]

29. I would guess much of the crew would need to go

Probably not a lot of professional television people in the Azores and if there were, they wouldn't be familiar with the specific WoF processes and setups. I'm sure some things like craft services and transportation are local labor.

[Goodheart]

33. Lucky them....

but why should everybody else who don't work on foreign excursion-type companies have to subsidize a portion of that?

[Zeitghost]

35. Just to clarify

You believe any work experience that brings joy to the employee and isn't mindless, soul sucking work should not be a valid business expense?

Do I understand your position correctly?

[Goodheart]

36. What?

They are ALL valid business expenses and whether or not a corporation chooses to incur such expenses to generate profits should be entirely up to them. But the taxation treatment is a separate issue. Whether or not they are the types of expenses we should allow as valid tax deductions is an issue we wouldn't have to even consider... it becomes moot under the abolition of an income tax system that encourages cheating and excesses.

[brooklynite]

25. So, you'd get rid of SURVIVOR and THE AMAZING RACE?

And how would your taxation system stop a TV production company from spending money on a foreign location production?

[Goodheart]

32. The decision for ABC or NBC to broadcast such competitions should not depend

on my having to subsidize a portion of their travel and accommodations. Such broadcasts would still exist, because their pre-tax profits would still be the same and the taxation considerations would not be the make or break decider.

[BannonsLiver]

26. Imagine giving a nanosecond of thought to this and then concluding it's a problem worth mentioning.

[Goodheart]

31. I don't like being forced to subsidize a portion of somebody else's luxury vacations.

or certain other luxury products and services, which is exactly what happens under our income tax system. We absolutely could structure a sales/consumption tax system with certain credits, certain excluded products and services, and certain equities and luxury products and services taxed at higher rates, wherein the poor would pay no more than they already do, and wherein the rich are guaranteed to pay more than currently.

[Emile]

28. I heard Pat is another disgusting republican.