I want a rethug to look me straight in the eye, and tell me who should bear the burden of taxes

[Hugabear]

Since they seem to think that the wealthiest in this country shouldn't have to be bothered with paying taxes, who DO they think should carry the heaviest burden? Have any of them ever had the cajones to stand up and actually answer that question? Do they think the middle class should carry the heaviest tax burden? The poor? Who?

Yes, I want a rethug to look me in the eye and tell me that a working middle class family should pay more taxes than some fatcat CEO.

[WA98296]

1. And, while they're at it, WHAT exactly should taxes be spent on...

Haliburton, Endless Occupation and War,

OR

Health Care and Infrastructure

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

2. man, turn on some of the liberal radio. It seems they are all being over

run with trolls and paid operatives yapping about how raising the rates on the rich will ruin the economy.

[Greyhound]

3. Have we completely forgotten that this country had no income tax

until the robber baron's were able to ram it through with a campaign of lies at the beginning of the 20th century?

Teddy was a class traitor that broke up the trusts and this is how they fought back. We failed to follow up and take the opportunity he gave us, and allowed them to steal our lives. Now, nobody even seems to consider that there are other, better, ways to finance government.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

8. Which is......?

"Now, nobody even seems to consider that there are other, better, ways to finance government."

Okay, so what are the ways to do it? I'm not being snarky, I'm curious.

[Greyhound]

9. No problem, this is why I hang out here, to discuss. I wish it happened more often.

Tariffs, fees, and taxing profits/unearned income for a start. It would have to coincide with a dramatic reduction and elimination of the military and police state initiatives/departments.

[TahitiNut]

4. Some would have every person pay an equal amount.

Haven't you ever been to lunch or dinner with the hog who washed down his prime rib with a bottle of wine while you enjoyed a salad and ice water .... and then, when the check came, he said "let's split this evenly"?? That's your average fat-cat reichbot ... who conveniently has no concept of fairness or equity and pretends that his wealth and success are 100% attributable to his own efforts. He ignores the system of laws and regulations and public services within which he found ways to exploit loopholes ... conveniently presuming "that's just the way things are" ... Acts of God and benefits of Nature.

Oh... his rationale for splitting the check evenly? Well, YOU could have had a prime rib, too. Your choice. Uh-huh. :eyes:

[Winterblues]

5. They will look you straight back in the face and say "Fair Tax"

To them if everyone pays the same percentage that makes it fair. To a Liberal those that have more need to pay more because that is FAIR. Sometimes equality is not Fair. FAIR and Equal do not have the same meaning.

[tn_eagle]

13. when I first heard about the "Fair Tax"...

...I thought it was a horrible idea with the 23% inclusive consumption tax on everything you would buy, including things like food. That would certainly hurt the poor disproportionately. It sounded like a very "Unfair Tax" to me. When I looked more into "Fair Tax", I found that part of the plan includes a so-called "prebate" check that everyone would receive from the government at the beginning of every month to reimburse them in advance for the "Fair Tax" they would have to pay on the necessities of life. The "prebate" check would supposedly amount to something like $195/month for single head of household and $525/month for a family of 4. With the "Fair Tax" there would be no federal income tax and no FICA withheld from anyone's paycheck so they would have all that extra money to start with every payday. Also, there would be no federal business taxes to be passed on to the consumer and that would supposedly largely offset the added "Fair Tax" to items purchased since the embedded taxes would be gone.

Lower and middle income folks pay a disproportionate amount of FICA compared to the rich. The FICA tax is regressive. If you've ever paid the self-employment tax of 15.3% (FICA x 2) plus federal income tax on top of that, you know how that sucks. Considering that you would pay neither FICA nor federal income tax under the "Fair Tax", and considering the "prebate" check everyone would get every month, maybe it's a more progressive way to tax than the status quo. Of course there's more to the "Fair Tax" than what I've mentioned. In any case, I've found that the "Fair Tax" is very different than how it was originally represented to me.

[FormerDittoHead]

6. They don't include wage taxes - only income taxes

Please note that their figures NEVER include SSI, or wage taxes - ONLY income taxes.

Fact is that if you make $10,000 a year, you're paying a higher WAGE tax RATE than someone making $250,000.

Also, they will cite how say, how the top 1% pay like 30% of income taxes (again, not wage taxes) but they won't admit that the top 1% MAKE *MORE* than 30% of all income.

It would seem "fair" to me if you made 30% of all the income, you should at LEAST pay 30% of the taxes.

I'm a radical when it comes to taxes, however, having been an accountant, it boggles my mind to see what ignorance is left unchallenged in the public discourse.

[Progressive_In_NC]

10. Can you please define wage taxes? I just personally think everybody should pay something....

With the earned income tax credit and the child deductions, 32% of the country pays no income tax. I don't care if it's 2% I'd like to see everybody pay something into the system if they physically can do so.

We are heading for a 50/50 split and a very polarized country (re:taxes) at this rate. I'd like to head that off if I could.

[Winterblues]

11. Social Security and Medicare are taken out of your check if you make under ninty five thousand a yea

Neither are considered income tax although they amount to over fifteen percent when employer part is added in. It is part of your wages even though they pay a portion. People earning over $95 thousand only pay 22% income tax and nothing for SCCI or Medicare...

[Progressive_In_NC]

12. Thanks,

I think you mean, people pay nothing for SCCI or Medicare after the first 102,500 for this coming tax year. It used to be 95K, but Congress has managed to bump it up a bit.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

7. I think we should try the "trickle up" doctrine for awhile

The trickle down theory hasn't worked too well. Give rich people tax breaks and they don't necessarily invest the money at home. They invest in foreign money market funds, they invest it in offshore accounts, or they build factories in foreign countries.

Put money in the form of tax breaks in the hands of the common people who spend it in buying domestic goods and services.

[Chemical Bill]

14. Like logic works on them....

A guy at work says that the guy in the Jaguar should pay the same as the guy in the Hyundai. He doesn't see that the guy in the Jaguar just got a $700 billion bailout. He only sees what Rush wants him to.

Bill