101 Years of the Income Tax

For Department of Defense in FY2015, taxpayers in the United States are paying $505.28 billion, not including the cost of war.

Link

Enough said

originally posted by: xuenchen
So why has the government gone so crazy with the binge taxes and binge spending ?

Because we have things to fund. Prior to WW1 there was practically no defense spending outside of naval spending which the US didn't pay much attention to. There was also no FDA to maintain, no EPA, no Social Security, no safety nets at all. There wasn't even an interstate system to maintain, and there was barely even a series of paved roads.

What the government has done is perfectly responsible unless you can come up with a better way to handle those programs.

originally posted by: Klassified
Everything government NEEDS to fund, can be funded with sales tax and tariffs. No income tax necessary.

Only if you're a fan of regressive taxes. The purpose of an income tax is that it's a fairer system to tax. Sales tax is just a consumption tax, someone with money might consume more, but they don't consume more at a proportional rate to their income. Therefore it increases the tax burden on those who have less.

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: xuenchen
So why has the government gone so crazy with the binge taxes and binge spending ?

Because we have things to fund. Prior to WW1 there was practically no defense spending outside of naval spending which the US didn't pay much attention to. There was also no FDA to maintain, no EPA, no Social Security, no safety nets at all. There wasn't even an interstate system to maintain, and there was barely even a series of paved roads.

What the government has done is perfectly responsible unless you can come up with a better way to handle those programs.

How is spending a few million on war planes to use against people that've not done a thing to me more responsible than.....say, Food? A small fraction of that tax money could cure hunger and homelessness.

Originally the Income Tax was only legally enforced during times of war.

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: Klassified
Everything government NEEDS to fund, can be funded with sales tax and tariffs. No income tax necessary.

Only if you're a fan of regressive taxes. The purpose of an income tax is that it's a fairer system to tax. Sales tax is just a consumption tax, someone with money might consume more, but they don't consume more at a proportional rate to their income. Therefore it increases the tax burden on those who have less.

Easily remedied. No regression necessary, a flat sales tax across the board. It isn't those who have less that will be burdened. It is those who make millions and billions who will finally have to pay their fair share. No tax breaks, loop holes, havens, or write-offs. A new car will cost the same for an individual, or a mega-corporation.

You make a purchase, you pay sales taxes, no matter who you are. It is the simplicity of it that the banksters, governments, and corporations hate.

a reply to: xuenchen

But the rhetoric from the left/Bernie supporters is that everyone needs to pay their fair share. Increase taxes, you know, because it's the right thing to do. I don't understand how we all just sit here getting robbed and then everyone likes to support all of these politicians who want to increase the robbery.

originally posted by: Klassified
Easily remedied. No regression necessary, a flat sales tax across the board. It isn't those who have less that will be burdened. It is those who make millions and billions who will finally have to pay their fair share. No tax breaks, loop holes, havens, or write-offs. A new car will cost the same for an individual, or a mega-corporation.

You make a purchase, you pay sales taxes, no matter who you are. It is the simplicity of it that the banksters, governments, and corporations hate.

A flat sales tax is regressive. Those on the bottom spend 100% of their money, so 100% of their money is taxed. As you make less money, you buy fewer things and as such a smaller percentage of your money is taxed.

originally posted by: Klassified

originally posted by: Aazadan

originally posted by: Klassified
Everything government NEEDS to fund, can be funded with sales tax and tariffs. No income tax necessary.

Only if you're a fan of regressive taxes. The purpose of an income tax is that it's a fairer system to tax. Sales tax is just a consumption tax, someone with money might consume more, but they don't consume more at a proportional rate to their income. Therefore it increases the tax burden on those who have less.

Easily remedied. No regression necessary, a flat sales tax across the board. It isn't those who have less that will be burdened. It is those who make millions and billions who will finally have to pay their fair share. No tax breaks, loop holes, havens, or write-offs. A new car will cost the same for an individual, or a mega-corporation.

You make a purchase, you pay sales taxes, no matter who you are. It is the simplicity of it that the banksters, governments, and corporations hate.

As I said earlier:

"You also realize that the vast bulk of the current tax code was written by lobbyists/lawyers for the purpose of excluding from "taxable income" as much Corporate and Shareholder (read: Rich Fat Cats) wealth as possible"

According to a recent study by the GAO (U. S. Government Accounting Office) over a period of six years studied, although the US corporate tax rate, at up to 35%, is one of the highest in the world,

Two thirds (that's 2/3's!) of the corporations in the Us paid NO TAX at all!

Of the remaining corporations, the average tax rate paid on taxable income was just 14%.

Does anyone, seriously, believe that significant tax reform, not to mention the wholesale replacement of the current tax code with a so-called flat tax for all, will ever be considered while the fat cats and corporations are profiting so wildly (at our expense) by maintaining the current system?

Not bloody likely!

Heck, even with a flat tax, when you're rich you just import your way around the tax.

Why buy that new Mercedes from Joe's dealership downtown and pay 10% sales tax when you could pick one up in Stuttgart when you and the missus go on vacation?

a reply to: Bhadhidar

Does anyone, seriously, believe that significant tax reform, not to mention the wholesale replacement of the current tax code with a so-called flat tax for all, will ever be considered while the fat cats and corporations are profiting so wildly (at our expense) by maintaining the current system?

Of course not. It's strictly a philosophical discussion, and that's all it will ever be, because the American people are nothing more than docile domesticated animals at this point. We don't have the will or the courage to fight another revolution, even if it was a non-violent one. Not that we could come together of one mind even if we had the aforementioned.

But philosophically speaking, the framers of our constitution envisioned a nation without an income tax, and now we can see why. Good post Bhadhidar !