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First of all you are assuming that everyone wants to close the gap between rich and poor. Many people want to widen the gap between the rich and the poor, by enriching themselves at the expense of the poor. Donald Trump is a perfect example, and the billionaire class he represents.
" Donald Trump is a perfect example, and the billionaire class he represents."
Ignorant statements like this os WHY so many will NEVER rise to the "wealthy" class.
Do you have ANY INKLING as to how many PEOPLE like Trump employs WORLDWIDE?
Would you rather all those thousands of people involved in construction did OT have jobs building all of Trumps properties?
People like Trump TAKE RISKS. Lazy people do NOT.
Would you prefer people like Trump STOPPED taking risks?
Short answer is not to think there will ever be a day when we don't have poor people and/or rich people, but there is what can be done to help limit the disparities of opportunity between those born disadvantaged vs those born with advantage.
A quick peek at another thread about Warren's proposed free child care immediately caused me to think people will either be for or against depending on whether they believe this effort to limit the above referenced disparities is appropriate for any society to work toward. Needless to say, better access to affordable child care, health care, education, nutritious foods and a safe environment - for as many people as possible -- rich or poor is how we best better provide opportunity for those born disadvantaged.
Some complain about all this "free stuff," as if there is no cost to America that comes from poverty. Do the math with respect to the cost of drugs, crime, poor health and all the rest compared to providing better access to all that helps mitigate the cost of poverty in America, and only then can you come to a better conclusion about how our tax dollars are best spent. Then too the question of who further up the economic ladder should pay what rate of taxes to support these efforts along with all the rest our government is more than happy to spend money on.
Far as you are concerned, should we bother with what I note in bold above? Why or why not?
Answer tends to determine whether you understand where people like Warren, Sanders, Newsom and other more progressive type thinkers are coming from...
Gov. Newsom proposing to expand services for babies and toddlers
Massively strengthen labor unions and get big money out of politics.
Its no coincidence that countries with strong labor unions have strong public safety nets as well. Labor unions democratize society like nothing else does. Most countries wouldnt have universal health care without strong unions IMO. It reduces the power of the corporate elite, workers no longer shackled to the job because of health care. In America during the 1960s, labor unions were at their strongest and the economy boomed. Of course, we got Medicare as well in the 1960s, partly as a result of strong unions.
The elite wants disorganized and desperate workers with just enough education to function in the economy they run. But not more than that. Thats a threat. Because democracy is a threat to any system of power.
"Massively strengthen labor unions and get big money out of politics."
Why do you think high property taxes places ALSO are BIG into unions?
Unions are why the textile industry MOVED from the NORTH to the south leaving all those former plants EMPTY and are STILL EMPTY TODAY
Unions are one reason why the likes of GM is CLOSING so many statewide plants and MOVING them to china.
Big unions ARE "big money" but you DON'T want to get rid of them
Whatever tricks they use, it is absurd that so many US companies don't pay any corporate tax, despite profits. Ask them how they do it.
Their expenses either match or exceed their profits due to the US tax code, as I've already explained.
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Yes, different countries have different tax rates, which causes unfair competition among EU countries. Some are lower and some higher than the US rate. In Germany it is around 30% as there are also local taxes companies have to pay.
We're comparing apples to apples. As such, US corporations pay local and state taxes, as well, so to keep it a direct country to country comparison of national corporate tax rate...
Germany corporate tax rate: 15%
US corporate tax rate: 21%
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Sorry, EU countries have progressive tax systems (for income), no matter what you post. I already explained the German one in more detail.
Nope. They have MUCH flatter tax brackets in which their middle class is in the top tax bracket, not just their $500,000+ income earners, and they have high VAT taxes added on top of that.
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Kakwani (used in your diagram) is not for taxes, but for social interventions.
You apparently can't read. Look at the x-axis of the chart, specifically labelled: "Direct Tax Progressivity," and look at the countries charted in the negative values.
FYI, the Kakwani Progressivity Index is the difference between the tax concentration coefficient, which is a measure of income groups’ shares of total taxes, and the Gini coefficient for before-tax income, which is a measure of income groups’ shares of total before-tax income. Progressivity or regressivity depends on a comparison of tax shares and income shares. If each individual’s tax share equals his income share, the Kakwani Progressivity Index is zero and the tax system has no progressivity. If high-income individuals pay a greater share of total taxes than their share of total before-tax income, the Kakwani Progressivity Index is positive and the tax system is progressive. If high-income individuals pay a smaller share of total taxes than their share of total before-tax income, the Kakwani Progressivity Index is negative and the tax system is regressive.
So, again, LOOK at the countries charted with negative Kakwani Progressivity Index values (located along the x-axis of the chart). Those countries tax regressively. That is, their high-income individuals pay a smaller share of total taxes than their share of total before-tax income. Then look at where the US is charted. The contrast is quite stark:
There are all kinds of tax evasion and avoidance schemes, not just abusing the US tax code, which judging from your description seems to inherently promote such practices.
In the US the additional state corporate tax is about 7% on average, plus the 21% (effectively it is lower than that, anyway), makes 28%. Effectively the composite rates are similar for US and most of Europe, where most countries have federal rates between 15 and 30%. Interestingly, the lowest rates are typical of poorer countries.
Sorry, but you don't need Gini, Kakwani etc. in order to tell whether a country's income tax system is progressive, flat, or regressive. If the Washington Post wants to invent some new classification, fine with me, but they can't hijack already established terms in order to fit their agenda.
It is really simple, all you need is a diagram, with income on the x axis and tax rate on the y axis. Now you enter the various tax rates for all incomes and take a look at the curve. With a progressive system the rate for any given income is never lower than for any income to the left of it. I. e. the curve always increases (the steepness is irrelevant), at best flattening out at as is usual for the top incomes as a tax rate of 90% would not be accepted, not even for millionaires. Still, those millionaires never pay a lower rate than anyone with a lower income.
There are all kinds of tax evasion and avoidance schemes, not just abusing the US tax code, which judging from your description seems to inherently promote such practices.
Much moreso in Europe than in the US. European countries let both individual taxpayers and corporations evade taxes by simply either moving to a different country, running their corporations out of a different country, or hiding assets in an offshore account. US law prohibits that.
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Sorry, but you don't need Gini, Kakwani etc. in order to tell whether a country's income tax system is progressive, flat, or regressive.
Actually, yes, you do. That's exactly WHY the Kakwani Progressivity Index exists. It directly compares income share to tax share. In European countries, those who earn less bear a greater burden of taxes than those who earn more. We can tell this by directly comparing income share to tax share.
Much moreso in Europe than in the US. European countries let both individual taxpayers and corporations evade taxes by simply either moving to a different country, running their corporations out of a different country, or hiding assets in an offshore account. US law prohibits that.
Actually, yes, you do. That's exactly WHY the Kakwani Progressivity Index exists. It directly compares income share to tax share. In European countries, those who earn less bear a greater burden of taxes than those who earn more. We can tell this by directly comparing income share to tax share.
Why are you so fact-averse? Serious question.
In the US states also don't levy corporate tax on people from out of state.
What exactly do you mean by "share"? Progressive vs regressive does not care about share, but only rate and taxable income. The WP is free to invent new terms for their own classification.
Yes, that all totals $820.5 billion. No need to lie, the Fed Gov actually publishes the info. That's LESS than the US spends on means-tested public assistance programs. National defense is Constitutionally mandated. Means-tested public assistance programs are not. And furthermore, the enumerated powers that limit Congressional legislation/actions in Article 1 Section 8 do NOT include legislating means-tested public assistance programs.
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Look at the x-axis of the chart, specifically labelled: "Direct Tax Progressivity," and look at the countries charted in the negative values.
