New poll finds Americans think rich should be taxed more

Nice to see a poll that agrees with my personal opinion which is, tax the rich, they will not go hungry!

According to the poll, 68 percent of those questioned said wealthy households pay too little in federal taxes; only 11 percent said the wealthy pay too much.

Republicans, in general, are more likely than Democrats to oppose higher taxes, except when it comes to low-income families.

Only 19 percent of respondents said low-income families pay too little in federal taxes, but there was a significant split between the political parties. Just 10 percent of Democrats said low-income families pay too little, while 33 percent of Republicans said they don't pay enough.

source

a reply to: AlaskanDad

From your source:

"Most people understand that at a time when the rich are becoming much richer, the middle class is continuing to disappear," Sanders said. "And people also understand that the very wealthy and large corporations are able to take advantage of huge loopholes, which enable them not to pay their fair share of taxes."

Why don't they address scrapping the loophole-ridden system and starting over? Why is the solution to always raise rates, and raise rates, and raise rates, and raise rates?

It's the system that's broken, not the rates, yet all you see are people, like you, falling for the fallacy that it's a rate problem, or a rich-not-paying-enough problem (have you looked at the percentage of federal income tax revenue that the rich pay? They pay their "fair share"). Stop dividing the nation by income class and then create demons within them. You're discussing a problem, but identifying the wrong root of it.

Instead of progressive Democrats tweeting "#FairShot #FairShare," they should start tweeting "#FlatTax" instead.

Exactly, we can raise the tax rates on big business until every single one leaves the country and there are none left. Then where would we be ... aside from mostly all unemployed that is.

It's like this. Not long after Obama took office and corporate rates went up, it was discovered that GE, one of Obama's biggest corporate cronies paid $0 in domestic income tax thanks to the system. The response is the Pavlovian one of raise rates.

But, think. If the rates had already been raised and that did nothing. GE still paid nothing. 35% means nothing if the system allows a company to duck all of it through loopholes. You could raise that to 40%, and all the same loopholes still exist and GE still pays 0%. The only thing that will happen is that other competition that aren't as kiss-@ss as GE will be taken out of business or chased out of the country leaving more monopoly style conditions behind ... and less tax revenue.

How about you address the loopholes and lower the rate? Say 25%? You would then get 25% from GE. Sure it's less than the 35% rate you had before, but it's more than the 0% of that 35% rate that GE was actually paying.

a reply to: ketsuko

I smh every day that people can not understand this part of the tax system, yet scream about how Big Business is cheating America. It's not about the corporations, it's the system.

And this is the public that gets polled and think that raising taxes is the correct answer. You ask an uninformed public, you get an uninformed answer.

a reply to: AlaskanDad

They must have polled college freshmen.

A consumption tax of some sort is needed. One that would exlcude certain foods, necessities etc. 40 odd % of Americans pay no income tax, as it is. They do pay payroll taxes, which are non refundable, if they work. Poorer workers get it all back through tax credits.

The tax burden, by percentage, is overwhelmingly carried by the wealthy. However, the effect of taxes is felt most heavily by middle class workers. Illegal workers and the underground economy escape income taxation. A consumption tax would hit everyone, equally, as they are taxed on what they spend, and investment returns, rather than what they earn.

Doesn't matter if we tax the rich more or less, they don't pay their taxes anyway half the time.

a reply to: FalcoFan
oops, delete.

originally posted by: FalcoFan
a reply to: AlaskanDad

They must have polled college freshmen.

And Reddit.

The only reason why any government is taxing more is because they want more money to spend.

Instead of spending more, government should spend much less, then everyone could have more money.

But apparently, people like big, spendy governments.

a reply to: AlaskanDad

The income disparity in this country is a massive joke. The money I have compared to a select few is almost unfathomable. They have no idea what its like to be poor. The American dream is college debt and a #ty paycheck

originally posted by: Puppylove
Doesn't matter if we tax the rich more or less, they don't pay their taxes anyway half the time.

And did you see the part about reforming the tax system? Make it consumption or flat and you fix that.

originally posted by: JDmOKI
They have no idea what its like to be poor. The American dream is college debt and a #ty paycheck

They also have no idea what it's like to sit around demanding somebody else pay their way through life, removing almost all personal responsibility and natural consequences that wealth redistribution in the name of voter pandering has castrated from the country's lexicon.

This class warfare in America is a freaking joke. The middle class is stuck between a bunch of entitled people with their hands constantly out saying "gimme, gimme!" and a smaller bunch of people who simply have the same goal as the middle class: to keep as much of their labor's fruits as possible and not be robbed by a broken system run by a massive conglomeration of leeches, vampires, and perverts in DC.

The rich already pay their fair share. Anyone arguing other wise is either dishonest or ignorant as the data is readily available as to who bears the Federal income tax burden. Bottom 50% don't pay squat. The problem is government spending is out of control due to Congress using the tax code as a way to dole out favors to their special interest.

If you want a more equitable tax system, everyone must pay something and we need a more simple tax code that cannot be manipulated by creative accountants and lobbyist.

originally posted by: FalcoFan
a reply to: AlaskanDad

They must have polled college freshmen.

Or public sector union members.

a reply to: ketsuko

The tricks they use to not pay taxes bypasses most of that even if we had those reforms. They horde their wealth, they aren't spending as much as you think, so consumption tax does less than you think, and most of their wealth is overseas with their income filtered through other countries so it can't be taxed in the U.S, so flat tax is irrelevant as the money is "technically" not U.S profit. It's all BS far more complicated than what I'm saying, I only know the dumbed down basics.

They spend little proportional to their wealth and somehow they manage to make most of their wealth not taxable in the first place. I don't know the exact details anymore, just enough to know it makes me sick. Been awhile since I looked into that nightmare.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

I think you're confused about the 1% working hard for their money. Most of these people had this wealth passed down. I always loved the term trickle down economics makes me think of a fat man chugging water while the rest get the droplets falling from his chin.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

I certainly don't want any handouts thats for sure but I do want to be able to work 40 hours a week and be able to live a reasonable substantial life.

Or do you prefer people to work several jobs at 7.25 at 50 hours a week in order to survive while the top 1% laughs at 15k a year and minimal taxes?

a reply to: JDmOKI

The 1% work very hard...





...to take everyone else's peoples money!