The 47% Myth (solution, how much, companies, dollar)

[C.C]

Originally Posted by postingMan

Maybe I should've been more specific... in the post you quoted, replace "not paying income tax" with "not being required to pay income tax."

OK - so again, by that logic, why should anyone "be required to pay income tax"?

[ovcatto]

An interesting look at the demographics of those who pay income and payroll taxes




http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...eck/notax.html

[ovcatto]

You won't like the messenger but some interesting stats;

Getting the Facts Straight on America's Tax Burden | The White House

[postingMan]

Originally Posted by InformedConsent

It would be more fair than a flat tax. With a flat tax, some end up paying many, many times more than others for the exact same government protections, benefits, and services.

So it wouldn't bother you to have the government (possibly) forcibly extract survival money from very low-income people?

[postingMan]

Originally Posted by C.C

OK - so again, by that logic, why should anyone "be required to pay income tax"?

Because the government needs the revenue to function I guess, same as with payroll taxes. I'm not sure what point you're trying to make...

[InformedConsent]

Originally Posted by postingMan

So it wouldn't bother you to possibly have the government forcibly extract survival money from very low-income people?

The federal government should extract income tax from ALL earners. They ALL benefit from federal protections, services, and benefits.

[postingMan]

You didn't answer the question though.

[60sfemi]

Originally Posted by oz in SC

Because they would have very little left to say?

Perfect examples of why there can never be peace, prosperity, and healthy working middleclass and the good old fashioned idea that each American family can live peaceably and amically with his neighbors. You must be so proud!

[madpaddy]

Originally Posted by ovcatto

Interesting figures on the 47% of "dead beat" Americans who pay no income tax:

At or below the median income:

68% earn less than 50k per year (63.2 million)

At or above median income:

12.5% earning incomes between 50k-100k per year (4.3 million)

02.1% earning incomes between $100k-$500k (485,000)

01.6% earning incomes between $500-$1m (14,000)

01.% earning incomes over $1m (4,000)

Great information that has changed my perspective. It has been characterized, and I have bought into the characterization, that the bottom half of earners are not paying income tax. Turns out it's about the bottom third, and a smattering of people from higher income brackets. While I think the threshold should be about the bottom 20-25%, 33% is closer to that than the socially problematic bottom 50%. It never occurred to me that those with losses "carrying forward" were such a significant part of the non-payers.

[C.C]

Originally Posted by postingMan

Because the government needs the revenue to function I guess, same as with payroll taxes. I'm not sure what point you're trying to make...

Huh? Didn't you say "I still don't understand why not paying income tax matters if people already pay other taxes."? Everybody "already pays other taxes", so by your logic it shouldn't "matter" if anyone pays income taxes, right?