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Is it fair to demand those who make more, pay more percentage of their income in tax?
It seems to me we all have 'skin in the game' with respect to running the nation and each should pay an equal percentage. I would also argue that fraud, waste and abuse as well as overly funded social payouts could reduce income taxes 50%.
Is it fair to demand those who make more, pay more percentage of their income in tax?
It seems to me we all have 'skin in the game' with respect to running the nation and each should pay an equal percentage. I would also argue that fraud, waste and abuse as well as overly funded social payouts could reduce income taxes 50%.
The problem with having those who make more pay more is that you're essentially punishing those who are financially successful and that doesn't seem very ethical to me. It seems petty, bitter and reeks of jealousy.
However, I agree that we would save a lot if we reduced waste.
Is it fair to demand those who make more, pay more percentage of their income in tax?
It seems to me we all have 'skin in the game' with respect to running the nation and each should pay an equal percentage. I would also argue that fraud, waste and abuse as well as overly funded social payouts could reduce income taxes 50%.
It's ridiculous to think someone making 20K a year should pay the same percentage as a rich person. If you take home 200K a year or more after taxes, be they 20% or 80%, you are still living a luxurious lifestyle and will never feel any pain from it, other than greed pains. If you tax someone 30 % on a 20K a year income, you are taking food off their table and asking a real sacrifice from them in their lifestyle. I despise the flat tax schemes the GOP candidates come up with every election year....what a turn off.
As for the tax rates you mentioned, how about all the above ? To start with, US corporate taxes are higher than all the other western nations, that is stupid, lower them to the same level as they pay in other countries. Then figure out how much loss in revenue that would be to the US government. Next step, raise personal income taxes on the owners, shareholders and CEO's of all corporations, by the amount lost from lowering the corporate taxes.
Next step, simplify the tax code, but stratify tax rates for different types of wealthy people. Is the business you are involved in generally a function of crony capitalism, or does it have benefit for a large number of people and help the American economy grow ? How many employees do you have vs your income ? Is your business self started and growing, or was it inherited and stagnant ? Does your business create something new and beneficial ? Do you make most of your money pumping or digging an existing resource out of the ground, one that you think is all yours just because you found it first ? Are you engaged in economic activity that has caused mischief to the economy, be it stock trading, derivatives, oil speculation, artificially keeping the price high on a particular product or service by extending patents or via monopoly like practices ect ect. I think the rich could pay anywhere from 10% to 90% on their taxes, depending on what they are involved in. We used to have a 90% tax rate for some of the rich in WW2 and into the 50's, and many rich probably did not pay near that much depending on what they did. We need to get back to that concept, during times of war (think Iraq) we especially needed those higher rates, war is expensive, and very profitable for some.
Generally, it depends on what your taxes purchase you. Some nations are very very good at using tax money to purchase services for their citizens. Others seem to be better at aqquiring good stuff for the politicans.
Generally, the better the politicans are at using tax money to benefit the people, the more I'm willing to pay.
It's ridiculous to think someone making 20K a year should pay the same percentage as a rich person. .
No, it's not.
What is ridiculous is expecting some people to pay more "just because they can."
What is ridiculous is allowing people who pay no taxes to vote on taxes.
THAT is ridiculous.
I am for a consumption tax.
The rich will continue to pay more, just like everyone likes.
No one gets exemptions or deductions or loopholes. Corporations included.
I oppose a flat tax because those who support it are simply creating a "Trojan Horse" for a very small limited government. The only way we can run the type of modern state that we have which offers its citizens a social safety net, a military greater than any other in the world, social security, and medicare is by having a progressive, graduated income tax which requires those with greater incomes to pay a higher percentage than those with smaller incomes.
I find it amusing that so many want to turn taxation into a "moral issue". There is very little moral about taxes. Taxes are about money and raising money for essential government operations and that is all. Its far more a question of practicality than anything else.
I say this because if we had a rate of 10% that applied across the board it would raise insufficient revenue to begin to do the things we are doing. Also, the very poorest groups are not in a position to even pay 10% of their income in taxes and would scream to high heaven about having to do so. A flat tax would inevitably force the government to vastly shrink its size and operations. If that is what you want--than say so. Be honest about it. Don't start by demanding a "flat tax" and insisting that it is the "most fair tax". The starting point in this discussion is not what kind of a tax is the "fairest tax". The starting point is what kind of government do we want and how much revenue is necessary to fund it. The next question is how we raise this revenue.
The argument that the well-to-do and wealthy should pay more than the poorest groups is not a complex one. Generally speaking, upper income people benefit more from having a good government than poorer groups will. The police and armed forces create a security situation that protects the wealth we have accumulated. Regulation of industries such as airlines and aviation make it safe for us to fly and many, like me, do a great deal of flying for work and recreation. Regulation of automobiles has made cars very safe for us to ride in and we tend to do more driving than poorer people do. My social security benefits will be the maximum available because I pay the maximum one can pay out of his taxes for them. Our court system, generally speaking, protects wealth and its accumulation through a combination of estate and inheritance laws and enforcement of laws that respect private property. The well-to-do get far more from the court system than the poor do. If you doubt that, go to a court handling collections from debtors sometime and watch it in operation.
I don't view having a higher tax rate as "being punished for success". I instead tend to think of the Biblical adage which says "unto whom much is given, much is expected". [Luke 12:48 KJV] People sacrifice in different ways for their country. Service in the armed forces may be the ultimate sacrifice. However, other sacrifices include voting and paying the share of taxes that Congress says is appropriate for you. I like my country and it has treated me fairly. I do not shirk my responsibilities to pay taxes. I do take those deductions and exemptions that I am legally allowed. Even so, my effective tax rate is far larger than 10%.
Finally, it is the height of irresponsibility to suggest we go to a flat tax which will raise inevitably raise less revenue than our current system when we have record budget deficits. Until this problem is dealt with all the talk about a "flat tax" is just silly.
Last edited by markg91359; 10-02-2013 at 07:46 AM..
I fail to see what is "unfair" about having everyone pay the same percent.
The more you make, the more you pay.
Complaining that some have more money left after paying taxes is pure envy.
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