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That's because we are already giving them government programs like foos stamps to make ends meet. Taxing them on top of that doesn't make sense then. And the amount that would be gained from a 20% tax on all income below 40k would be minimal, and lost from the added need for government assistance.
Even the Forbes plan that Perry is floating keeps income level up to 40k untaxed. Like I said before, no one, not one American would be taxed on the first 40k of their income.
With the result that no one earning $40,000.00 or less has any skin in the game. Everyone should pay taxes because everyone benefits from the services government provides, from roads to schools to law enforcement to defense, etc. Why should I pay more for a particular good or service than anyone else. When I go to the supermarket I pay the same for a loaf of bread as any other purchaser. Why should it be any different for purchasers of government goods and services?
With the result that no one earning $40,000.00 or less has any skin in the game. Everyone should pay taxes because everyone benefits from the services government provides, from roads to schools to law enforcement to defense, etc. Why should I pay more for a particular good or service than anyone else. When I go to the supermarket I pay the same for a loaf of bread as any other purchaser. Why should it be any different for purchasers of government goods and services?
Everybody doesn't have the same skin in the game. People making more, or having more wealth to defend, need the security more than someone who doesn't have anything.
BTW, do you think a billionaire lives on the same bread as someone making $20K?
Well I disagree with your assertion about republicans raising taxes.....they are the only party OPPOSED to raising taxes in case you haven't been paying attention.
I would love to see a flat tax plan come out that proposes about 15% income tax on ALL Americans...on all corporate profit..on all capital gains. Also, I would support a 3% national sales tax to help the government dig out of the debt they have created for us.
I believe such a proposal would greatly increase government revenue especially since there would be no tax returns filed. It eliminates the loopholes and guarantees that everyone shares the burden of running a government.
But we also need an efficient government. One that does not spend more than it takes in revenue. There is a smart way to run the government...but I have yet to see any politican actually employ logic and restraint since Reagan was in office.
With the result that no one earning $40,000.00 or less has any skin in the game. Everyone should pay taxes because everyone benefits from the services government provides, from roads to schools to law enforcement to defense, etc. Why should I pay more for a particular good or service than anyone else. When I go to the supermarket I pay the same for a loaf of bread as any other purchaser. Why should it be any different for purchasers of government goods and services?
JimMe,
So raise the taxes on the poor and middle class and reduce them on the rich. That's the end result of what you're saying. To summarize, you want to raise the taxes on most people in the country. That's the net implication of your feelings there.
So raise the taxes on the poor and middle class and reduce them on the rich. That's the end result of what you're saying. To summarize, you want to raise the taxes on most people in the country. That's the net implication of your feelings there.
You're half right. A flat tax applicable to everyone would mean that people not currently paying taxes would have to contribute to making this government work. Incidentally, if that happened I suspect more of those people would pay closer attention to how their money is being spent by politicians.
As for those who now pay taxes, you're right some, including the ultra rich, might end up paying more than they are paying now because the corrupting loopholes would disappear. Notice I wrote "might..pay more." That doesn't necessarily have to happen. There is an unspoken assumption that tax rates, whether under a progressive income tax, a flat tax or a consumption tax, has to bring in sufficient revenue to support the current level of spending. I reject that assumtion. Obama has pushed federal spending to almost 25% of GDP. In other words some people think it is normal for the federal government to spend one out of every four dollars of wealth created in this country on an annual basis. Personally I think that is obscene and oppressive. This is nothing less than creeping socialism. If spending is cut to 10% of GDP (roughly 1.4 trillion) that should allow us to have a 10% flat tax and pay less than we are paying now and without the corruption that attends the current tax code.
A flat tax applicable to everyone would mean that people not currently paying taxes would have to contribute to making this government work. Incidentally, if that happened I suspect more of those people would pay closer attention to how their money is being spent by politicians.
So, the idea of flat tax is more about punishing those who don't pay into federal income tax than about anything else. Correct?
How does the idea of flat tax apply to deductions, to corporations and on capital gains etc?
So, the idea of flat tax is more about punishing those who don't pay into federal income tax than about anything else. Correct?
How does the idea of flat tax apply to deductions, to corporations and on capital gains etc?
You don't want to open that can of worms. If there is a tax system that "punishes" people it is the progressive income tax. The Left has been demonizing the "rich" in order to justify imposing punitive tax rates on them ever since the income tax came into existence. The flat tax represents, not punishment, but fairness. Everyone's income is taxed in the same proportion. By the way, the biblical tithe is a flat tax. Are you saying the God of the bible is about punishing people?
To answer your question, all income, whether produced by labor or investment, should be taxed equally. And that applies to corporate income. Nobody should be getting special treatment. As for deductions, there should be none. Deductions represent politicians using tax dollars to bribe people to do or withhold from doing certain activities. That's not the purpose of taxation--which is merely to raise the revenue necessary to carry out those responsibilites that government has under the Constitution.
A progressive tax is the ultimate favor to payoff the Democrat base, the government-dependent class, by ensuring wealth redistribution from the top-down. A flat tax only ensures equal protection under the law irregardless of one's income or wealth. After all, a rich person has the same private property rights as a middle-class or poor person. Wealth or income equality does not justify theft.
Property rights are not absolute but are contigent on the degree to which the individual justly participates in societal obligations. Society can compel people to pay their fair share. Fair being operative word. It is not fair to tax those who cannot pay.
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