What a brilliant marketing strategy—make it harder to win. I know I’ll just be lining up to buy tickets.

Remy:

I posted on this subject awhile back:

http://beyondwords.typepad.com/the_conversation/2004/12/taxing_the_poor.html

“Nobody likes paying taxes. So policy makers have a built-in bias against passing taxes that they personally have to pay. The best tax is a tax on some other person who doesn’t complain too much.

A state lottery fits the bill perfectly. Lawmakers, presumably, are not going to be spending much on lottery tickets. But others do - others that often have no idea how long of a long shot it is to win. It amounts to a voluntary tax on irrational people…

This goes against the spirit behind the progressive tax system. It just seems unfair to design a tax that extracts money disproportionately from underprivileged people - in this case underprivileged both financially and intellectually.”

On the other hand, a truly voluntary tax undoubtedly passes muster with the most ideologically committed Libertarians…