Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
National; sales tax then everyoen pays according to what they spend.No exceptions ;no exemptions.hen when congress wants top spend on somethng new CBO would tell people what the rise i taxes to apy for it is. That way everyone has skin in the game.
Or flat tax (along with welfare etc being taxed). No tax credits, no exceptions.
To expand social programs to cover a larger part of the population, increased revenue is necessary. Here are some ways to raise it:
1. RAISE THE HIGHEST MARGINAL RATE
The highest marginal federal income tax rate in the United States, as of now, is 35%. This is what middle-class citizens of other countries pay. It could be raised to at least 55% for the richest 0.5% of taxpayers.
2. VALUE-ADDED TAX
A VAT could be applied to all goods except food and medicine. This VAT would vary with the good being sold; however, an average of 20% is reasonable.
I figured I'd tackle the first two together. I'm all for raising the taxes on the top 10% of all earners in the United States. They pay somewhere around a 25% tax rate now, which is lower than the middle class. However 50% of all Americans don't pay income tax now either.
I think there should be one flat income tax rate, that all Americans pay. Whatever that number is, 30, 55, 20%, whatever, everyone pays. Thats the only fair and equitable way to pay taxes. "This is how much of your income, you're giving the government for its services and protection". Everyone knows how much everything costs, and we'll be a hell of a lot more in tune with demand and wars when those happen.
So you want an income tax, and a VAT?
The VAT is nothing more than a sales tax. A little tax is added to the product everytime its handled, then, you pay the tax when you buy it. The problem with this tax system is that, poorer Americans would pay taxes on 100% of their income. Because it takes 100% to survive, just to makes ends meet. However, if I made 100,000 a year, and only spent 50,000 on expenses, then I'd only have an effect 50% tax rate. That doesn't seem fair.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvdxer
3. INSTALL TOLL BOOTHS ON ALL INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS WHERE IT WOULD BE AFFORDABLE TO DO SO
Charging for access on all interstate highways should raise a fair amount of money. In addition, an executive order could be passed forbidding speed limits above 55 mph on any other road and requiring strict enforcement, perhaps by federal police if necessary.
I've long been for tolls on the interstate, with the repeal of speed limits if I do. If I'm paying for the road use directly, I should be able to travel at a safe speed, period. If police see reckless or dangerous driving, then they can pull you over for that, instead of speeding. Gotta keep the ticket revenue up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvdxer
4. REMOVE THE SOCIAL SECURITY INCOME CEILING
The current social security income ceiling is $106,500. This would be removed, and all earnings would be subject to social security tax. However, the ceiling would stay in place for benefits. Any taxed income over the ceiling would be 25% allocated to helping the program stay solvent and 75% allocated to the general fund.
The problem with this idea is, that when you remove the ceiling, you remove the pay out ceiling as well. Its not right to remove the ceiling, without allowing those who pay more, to get more when they retire. So if I make a million a year, what, the governments going to cut me checks for 500,000 a year when I retire? Yeah right.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvdxer
5. TAX ASSETS
Anybody owning over $250,000 in liquid assets, second homes, or vehicles would be required to pay a progressive tax (increasing with the amount of assets owned) on them each year to the central government. This would be a sort of "federal property tax".
More taxes, lets simplify things. You pay a tax when you buy things, thats it. Once you've bought it, no more taxes on it. If I buy it from someone who has already paid taxes, I shouldn't have to pay taxes too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvdxer
6. TV LICENSE
Require the payment of a $250 annual license for every TV-owning household. The elderly, disabled, and unemployed would be exempt. Require the top 1% of earners to pay an additional $750.
More taxes again, booooo
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvdxer
7. RAISE THE GAS TAX
Raise the gas tax to keep gas and diesel at a fixed price of US$6 / gallon, rising with inflation every year. Use the income derived from the tax to fund public transportation, bikeways, and walking infrastructure.
Way to high of a tax, but something should be done to curb our dependence on foreign oil, and domestic oil thats unsafe to drill.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvdxer
8. BRING BACK CORVEE LABOR
Require all youth from all backgrounds to spend one or two years serving the government. Many great public works materialized in this manner; examples include the Pyramids of Egypt and the maintenance of the Roman road system. As they would be forced to work, easily supervised, menial jobs would be in order. A small stipend, meals, and dormitory-style housing will also be provided. The consequence for refusing to perform this labor would be prison time or a $200,000 tax.
I've long stated that something like that should be done, however, I get called communist when I bring up such ideas.
Most of that hurts the American people. Do these two things and I guarantee you along with more revenue you will add jobs in the USA.
1. Close the corporate tax loopholes on large corporations raid that Cayman island building and its addresses and make em all pay. 2. Value added tax on all IMPORTED goods. Creates incentive to manufacture right here in the USA.
raising fees may represent a transfer of money to the government but in a debt saturated society it doesn't help anything. the last thing we need is a further slowdown of the private sector. i find it interesting that we have just committed 3.7 TRILLION dollars and have nothing to show for it in terms of economic improvement. how is further taxation going to fix that???? it is also interesting to note that the TARP program to lend to small businesses was NEVER IMPLEMENTED. if we do not change direction and grow the private sector, the government sector is going to start shutting down as it is deprived of revenue.
we also have to realize that, as the economy continues to tank and foreclosures continue to rise, housing values will drop and more people will be renters. as it stands now, renters don't pay proportionally for the education of their own children as they are subsidized by homeowners through the system of property taxation.
when those revenues decline, there will be some serious school budget shortfalls which aren't even being considered now. this is just another area that is not being addressed (along with the oversupply of labor problem-through illegal immigration -and the now accelerating destruction of small businesses in this country) in an administration which seems clueless on how to fix the economy.
just to give an example, look at obama's tax on tanning salons. that tax has to either be absorbed by the owner of the salon (where they might cut back on salaries, hours, equipment, etc.) or it is passed onto the consumer, which means that the consumer has less money to spend supporting other businesses. these taxes add up to huge losses for businesses when they are all added up and contribute to a further economic slowdown.
Last edited by floridasandy; 07-22-2010 at 04:59 AM..
raising fees may represent a transfer of money to the government but in a debt saturated society it doesn't help anything. the last thing we need is a further slowdown of the private sector. i find it interesting that we have just committed 3.7 TRILLION dollars and have nothing to show for it in terms of economic improvement. how is further taxation going to fix that???? it is also interesting to note that the TARP program to lend to small businesses was NEVER IMPLEMENTED. if we do not change direction and grow the private sector, the government sector is going to start shutting down as it is deprived of revenue.
we also have to realize that, as the economy continues to tank and foreclosures continue to rise, housing values will drop and more people will be renters. as it stands now, renters don't pay proportionally for the education of their own children as they are subsidized by homeowners through the system of property taxation.
when those revenues decline, there will be some serious school budget shortfalls which aren't even being considered now. this is just another area that is not being addressed (along with the oversupply of labor problem-through illegal immigration -and the now accelerating destruction of small businesses in this country) in an administration which seems clueless on how to fix the economy.
just to give an example, look at obama's tax on tanning salons. that tax has to either be absorbed by the owner of the salon (where they might cut back on salaries, hours, equipment, etc.) or it is passed onto the consumer, which means that the consumer has less money to spend supporting other businesses. these taxes add up to huge losses for businesses when they are all added up and contribute to a further economic slowdown.
Spending cuts aren't going to do any good, tax cuts aren't going to do any good.
We need taxes to go up in specific areas, and a major cut in spending. Not one, or another. However, as of right now, we are at war. During wartime, we often run a heavier debt, even when we raised taxes we still ran a debt.
But what urkes me, is that many Republicans will talk about unemployment, social security, healthcare, and things like that as places to cut spending. I don't see it that way, I see military as the best place to cut spending, as soon as the troops come home. Start a major era in our history again, cut the size of the military in half. One clean swipe, done. Get it over with, cut the military industrial complex off at the knees.
That would be enough money to start paying down the debt, while keeping the social programs that over 3/4 of Americans enjoy and want.
Face it guys, the "small government" fight is over on social security, healthcare, and unemployment, its done. Even Tea Party members polled said they support those programs by over 70%. Fight where you can, fight the military industrial complex.
Start a major era in our history again, cut the size of the military in half. One clean swipe, done. Get it over with, cut the military industrial complex off at the knees.
.
the military was cut in half in the 90's
cut so much, that we are having trouble fighting a war
start with cutting welfare, and all the other 'social' programs, that should be funded at the STATE level, not federal
To expand social programs to cover a larger part of the population, increased revenue is necessary. Here are some ways to raise it:
1. RAISE THE HIGHEST MARGINAL RATE
The highest marginal federal income tax rate in the United States, as of now, is 35%. This is what middle-class citizens of other countries pay. It could be raised to at least 55% for the richest 0.5% of taxpayers.
2. VALUE-ADDED TAX
A VAT could be applied to all goods except food and medicine. This VAT would vary with the good being sold; however, an average of 20% is reasonable.
3. INSTALL TOLL BOOTHS ON ALL INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS WHERE IT WOULD BE AFFORDABLE TO DO SO
Charging for access on all interstate highways should raise a fair amount of money. In addition, an executive order could be passed forbidding speed limits above 55 mph on any other road and requiring strict enforcement, perhaps by federal police if necessary.
4. REMOVE THE SOCIAL SECURITY INCOME CEILING
The current social security income ceiling is $106,500. This would be removed, and all earnings would be subject to social security tax. However, the ceiling would stay in place for benefits. Any taxed income over the ceiling would be 25% allocated to helping the program stay solvent and 75% allocated to the general fund.
5. TAX ASSETS
Anybody owning over $250,000 in liquid assets, second homes, or vehicles would be required to pay a progressive tax (increasing with the amount of assets owned) on them each year to the central government. This would be a sort of "federal property tax".
6. TV LICENSE
Require the payment of a $250 annual license for every TV-owning household. The elderly, disabled, and unemployed would be exempt. Require the top 1% of earners to pay an additional $750.
7. RAISE THE GAS TAX
Raise the gas tax to keep gas and diesel at a fixed price of US$6 / gallon, rising with inflation every year. Use the income derived from the tax to fund public transportation, bikeways, and walking infrastructure.
8. BRING BACK CORVEE LABOR
Require all youth from all backgrounds to spend one or two years serving the government. Many great public works materialized in this manner; examples include the Pyramids of Egypt and the maintenance of the Roman road system. As they would be forced to work, easily supervised, menial jobs would be in order. A small stipend, meals, and dormitory-style housing will also be provided. The consequence for refusing to perform this labor would be prison time or a $200,000 tax.
How about............................................. ...............
No new taxes and CUT SPENDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As purely insane as these ideas are… and they are very very very purely insane…
What the reader needs to keep in mind is, these are real ideas that the left has been talking about for a while. They really want this to happen to America.
Really.
However, there is one other really bad idea the left has been talking about. Confiscation of your 401K/IRAs. That is right. They want to take away your retirement plan. It is a HUGE amount of money and the plan being talked about works like this….
They get your 401k, and you get a promise of X dollars per month at retirement based on the amount they take from you. You get security because (they say) the promise is from the Government. They get your cash.
Really, that plan is out there and is being talked about by people inside the Bammer administration.
That is a very scary.
The other "option" has been the "retro-active tax" on retirement plans with the contention that those plans being tax free was not "fair".
The new republican congress will slow him down and make alot of his insanity impossible. The next president will be forced into austerity measures to reverse the Obama administration fiscal irresponsibility.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
