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I think it is a mistake not to make everyone pay some taxes. The minimum should be at last $1 per week. Free rides give some a warped view of the world while many pay more than they should have too. It is crazy to give money to people who pay nothing. And we are borrowing money from China to do this. Destroying our country giving to those who have proved they do not know how to manage what they have. Soup kitchens, yes; handing out drug money, no.
I agree with your first sentance....assuming you're refering primarily to income taxes ? If you are, I agree with you. The fact that almost half of the population pay no income taxes doesn't seem right. If you have an income stream, you should be paying some income taxes. Keep in mind, I'm not at all opposed to a progressive rate based on higher incomes paying a higher percentage....but, my main point is that everyone should have some "skin in the game".
If you pay absolutely no income taxes, you have very little or no care as to what tax rates are and in fact you'll benefit if the rates are raised on those who do pay taxes. Seems a little disingenuous to advocate raising tax rates when it doesn't affect your own personal bottom line doesn't it ? I think it would be nice if the country doubled my neighbors property taxes and eliminated mine....but then again, I have a vested interest in him paying more so I can pay less or none don't I ?
Obviously if your income is very low, maybe a half or quarter percent of your income would be your tax rate....but at least you'd be contributing to the general welfare of the country and not letting someone esle pay their share and yours as well.
We fought a war over "no taxation without representation" and rightly so. But than again, how fair is the opposite situation, "representation without taxation" ? I'm not talking about a Constitutional issue with the latter situation, but just from a practical, fairness stand point.
What better way to get young people (who typically have lower incomes) and all others with low incomes involved in public tax policy than to have them affected by income tax policy and see money going out of their check each and every month just like those who pay income taxes AND all the other taxes (sales taxes, property taxes etc...)
I know the typical argument against this is that we all do pay sales taxes (assuming you buy something from time to time), but if you compare my income taxes to the amount I pay in sales taxes, it's not anywhere near as much.
It just comes down to human nature. If I don't have any skin in the game, you're much less likely to care what tax rates are on others, but if it also affects you, then you're much more likely to be interested, involved and have an opinion :-) And that's a good thing !
However, the bottom 40% makes a net average gain of $18,950 per household off of the federal government when looking at all of the "transfers" and the straight up cash that they receive on average certainly covers more than those other taxes combined.
After reading the CBO report, you will find on page 7, on average, the bottom quintile receive an Market Income (labor income, business income, etc) of $8100, Social Security and Medicare benefit of $14,200 and other benefits (unemployement, SNAP, CHIP, Medicaid) of $8500.
On average, the second quintile receive an Market Income of $30700, Social Security and Medicare benefit of $10,300 and other benefits of $4900.
This number is heavy skewed by the social security, which is not paid out of income taxes, and medicare benefit, which is mostly not paid out of income taxes. Instead, these come from payroll taxes.
So the bottom 20% of Americans who only make 3% of the income in the country got $22,700 on average in government benenits in 2010, 60% of that benefit came from SS and Medicare,
The second quintile (20%-40%) got a $15,200 benefit, 68% came from SS and Medicare.
The majority of the benefit did not come from income taxes.
Can you show who is paying "a majority" of their income in taxes?
He said they are paying the majority of the income tax. Not that they are paying the majority of their income in taxes.
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Well, what do you want to gauge as social responsibility?
I would guess some kind of volunteer work. If you can't contribute money to society then contribute time and effort.
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What are the social responsbilities of those who do pay taxes? Is there a minimum threashold?
I don't know. What exactly is someone's "fair" share? The people on the opposite side of this issue seem to have no problems with advocating for higher taxes because people need to pair their far share without ever defining what fair is.
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What taxes do you mean when you say people don't pay taxes? People at least pay things like sales taxes.
People use this all the time. It's a dog that won't hunt. When the rich are exempted from property taxes and sales taxes then you can say that the poor paying paying those taxes is a valid point. As long as the rich are paying sales tax and income tax, the fact that the poor are paying sales tax means nothing. Two people paying Tax X is irrelevant to one of them paying tax Y and the other one not.
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The disabled, children, and retired people do things that are socially responsible. They also can pay taxes or not.
Another point that makes no point. Doing things that are socially responsible isn't mandated by law. Paying taxes is.
Location: Just transplanted to FL from the N GA mountains
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Social responsibility ends where personal accountability starts....
People are socially responsible for the things they use, i.e. roads, schools, our military, even our elderly and disabled citizens who cannot provide for themselves.... what I am NOT responsible for is feeding, clothing, housing, cell phones, utilities, INSURANCE and such for those who are unwilling to get off their asses... nor am I socially responsible for bail-outs, pork-barrel government projects, aid to foreign countries, tax credit's for the non-working, $1,000 toilets, and presidential golf vacations.
After reading the CBO report, you will find on page 7, on average, the bottom quintile receive an Market Income (labor income, business income, etc) of $8100, Social Security and Medicare benefit of $14,200 and other benefits (unemployement, SNAP, CHIP, Medicaid) of $8500.
On average, the second quintile receive an Market Income of $30700, Social Security and Medicare benefit of $10,300 and other benefits of $4900.
This number is heavy skewed by the social security, which is not paid out of income taxes, and medicare benefit, which is mostly not paid out of income taxes. Instead, these come from payroll taxes.
So the bottom 20% of Americans who only make 3% of the income in the country got $22,700 on average in government benenits in 2010, 60% of that benefit came from SS and Medicare,
The second quintile (20%-40%) got a $15,200 benefit, 68% came from SS and Medicare.
The majority of the benefit did not come from income taxes.
The bottom 40% receive more cash benefits than they pay in period.
Even if you ignore SS, Medicare, etc... The cash benefits of food stamps, EBT, etc... Off sets what this group probably pays in all taxes at the state and local levels.
Pure and simple. I don't care what their circumstances are, they are deadbeats.
There is no such person that pays no taxes whatsoever. So are you advocating for higher taxes? That would be a big about face for the GOP, at least in their public rhetoric the past 5 years.
After reading the CBO report, you will find on page 7, on average, the bottom quintile receive an Market Income (labor income, business income, etc) of $8100, Social Security and Medicare benefit of $14,200 and other benefits (unemployement, SNAP, CHIP, Medicaid) of $8500.
On average, the second quintile receive an Market Income of $30700, Social Security and Medicare benefit of $10,300 and other benefits of $4900.
This number is heavy skewed by the social security, which is not paid out of income taxes, and medicare benefit, which is mostly not paid out of income taxes. Instead, these come from payroll taxes.
So the bottom 20% of Americans who only make 3% of the income in the country got $22,700 on average in government benenits in 2010, 60% of that benefit came from SS and Medicare,
The second quintile (20%-40%) got a $15,200 benefit, 68% came from SS and Medicare.
The majority of the benefit did not come from income taxes.
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Originally Posted by michiganmoon
The bottom 40% receive more cash benefits than they pay in period.
Even if you ignore SS, Medicare, etc... The cash benefits of food stamps, EBT, etc... Off sets what this group probably pays in all taxes at the state and local levels.
You do know that these folks are one of the legs of the Republican party. Republicans are nothing without their seniors who rely heaviy on Medicare, Medicaid, VA, and SS. Counting SS and Medicare against taxes paid is interesting but this isnt anything new. If Republicans want to raise taxes on these folks lets do it and everyone else...oh we cant do that something about a Grober Norquist Pledge.
Taxes-the only discussion is Federal, no other taxes matter, not the money paid into your unemployment, or the money into social security-and the fact that the % paid into social security by the poor is far higher then by the rich.
Spending-NOW we include social security and unemployment. now it matters OMG.
The tax foundation did some research,
0-19% paid 13%
20-39% paid 23.2%
40-59% paid 28.2%
60-79% paid 31.3%
80-100% paid 34.5%
Thats total tax burden......a decade ago. Whats it like now? Dunno. But I suspect that we would find that its been skewed a bit flatter.
So all you "flat tax" folks that have agreed that we shouldn't tax food and other requirements for life? The end result is a lot like what we have now.
Can you show who is paying "a majority" of their income in taxes?
Well, what do you want to gauge as social responsibility?
What are the social responsbilities of those who do pay taxes? Is there a minimum threashold?
What taxes do you mean when you say people don't pay taxes? People at least pay things like sales taxes.
The disabled, children, and retired people do things that are socially responsible. They also can pay taxes or not.
This was never said but rather conjured up by yourself it seems.
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