The Me-First, Forget-Everyone-Else Crowd

The Me-First, Forget-Everyone-Else Crowd

www.truthout.org

What They Will Scream: But 38.5 percent is disproportionately high! See? You've proved that the rich "contribute more than their share" of taxes!

What You Should Say: Actually, they are paying almost exactly "their share." According to the data, the wealthiest 5 percent of America pays 38.5 percent of the total taxes precisely because they make just about that share — a whopping 36.5 percent! — of total national income. Asking these folks to pay slightly more in taxes — and still less than they did during the go-go 1990s — is hardly extreme.

(visit the link for the full news article)

There are some interesting statistics here. Of course, this article quotes them without references, but that is the nature of such articles. I would be very interested in seeing the evidence behind the claims.

Still, it is an interesting quote... the fact that they are getting taxed at a rate equivilant to the percentage of income they make. Wonder what would happen if that was across the board. Have every charged a tax rate equvilant to their income divided by the total national income levels.

My total income / Total aggregated national income * 100 = my income tax rate. I guess that would make it a flat rate in a sense. I would always pay a set ratio against the total national income level based on my personal income. That way, if the middle and lower classes get smaller, the elite pay higher taxes and if they get larger, the elite pay lower taxes.

www.truthout.org
(visit the link for the full news article)

Great post OP S&F

I think the biggest conspiracy is how the party of the rich manages to manipulate their poor and uneducated constituents to vote for policy which insulates the rich.


Yep... You bet that's one reason why those folks focus on racism... because they are frightened to death of classism.

It's coming though, and the ignorant masses who support the motivations of the "upper class" will eventually run into a brick wall.


It's like plantation owners getting the slaves to vote against abolition. Hilarious.

reply to post by HunkaHunka


That's one of the most insightful things anyone has said here. Classism is the pink elephant in the room.

OR ...

Do away entirely with Income taxes altogether.

How? Put a federal tax percentage on all goods and services that people buy. That way all of the people who do not pay taxes right now (unreported income) will be forced to pay taxes if they want to buy something. Also, in that way, the taxes will not be mandatory - only pay them if you want a diamond ring, a new car, or a loaf of bread.

The more expensive the item, the more tax... simple, fair, and voluntary.

[edit on 9/8/2009 by Iamonlyhuman]

reply to post by Iamonlyhuman


Agree 100%



The only really "fair" way of taxing the populace.

Originally posted by Iamonlyhuman
OR ...

Do away entirely with Income taxes altogether.

How? Put a federal tax percentage on all goods and services that people buy. That way all of the people who do not pay taxes right now (unreported income) will be forced to pay taxes if they want to buy something. Also, in that way, the taxes will not be mandatory - only pay them if you want a diamond ring, a new car, or a loaf of bread.

The more expensive the item, the more tax... simple, fair, and voluntary.

[edit on 9/8/2009 by Iamonlyhuman]

DING! DING! DING! We have a winner!

One thing that math doesn't mention is the number of people who pay no taxes or those who actually make a PROFIT on their taxes. How about we keep the ratio mentioned in the article, but, we give additional votes based off the amount of taxes you pay?

I'm sick and tired of watching the guy down the street take his boat, that he bought with his $4000 Earned Income Credit each year, from claiming his 4 kids, that he pays $200 per month in child support for, out fishing. While I'm struggling to make ends meet, taking care of my wife, son and paying for both our Mother's nursing home expenses, but we can't claim them as dependents. Between the two of us, we pay $10,000 in Federal Income Taxes each year.

reply to post by JIMC5499


I had given a lot of thought over the three pillars of taxing ideas that are currently out there. A federal sales tax does sound good, but then it dawned on me that the rich only spend a tiny amount of what they earn. The poor and middle classes spend 80-100% of what they earn. So, at least until people learn to change their spending habits, it will be almost exactly the same as it is now. The rich will be taxed way less than the poor as a percentage of income. I am still not in favor of any income based tax, but I honestly don't know a good solution, either. I almost think that perhaps the only people that should be taxed at all are people and companies earning more than $250K per year in gross income.