Show of Hands

For the medals...based on our current system

Nor I.

Me either

You can. I try not to for the purpose of honoring Separation of Powers. ☺️

Me neither if we had a flat tax. Unfortunately, we have a progressive tax system that taxes us way too much. I'm all for more deductions and exemptions so people can keep more of their own money. The government sure can't spend money wisely.

Prizes shouldn't be taxed in the first place. Now that is theft.

Our government will tax oxygen in my life time.

Exemption rather than deduction*

With a flat tax, how are poor people supposed to be able to make a name for themselves? They'd be doomed to a life of poverty, as would their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Oh please! They would pay the same tax rate as everyone else. I thought that you were all for equality?

Say a poor person makes $15K a year and a rich person makes $250K a year. They are each forced to pay 10% of their income to government for defense, social programs, etc. The rich person ends the year with $225K. The poor person ends the year with $13.5K. Is that really equality?

Absolutely! The two people are paying the government the same percentage. That's completely fair.

You're saying that a person making $13.5K a year is financially equal to a person making $225 a year? That's pretty ridiculous. Which one is more likely to be able to pay for food and rent?
*(Hint: if you can answer with certainty, the two people are not financially equal to one another.)

You just don't like it that we don't all have the same income. You would much rather penalize wealth.

Notice the obviously communist name "Hammer and Sickle" if he wanted people to work hard to get ahead his name would be "Hammer and Nail"

Ad hominems truly are a beautiful thing.

Tell me this: if a poor man is forced to sell his labour for the entirety of his life to earn but the meek means of sustinence, and a rich man inherits tens of millions of dollars and never has to work a day in his life, does that seem fair? Whether or not you wish to accept it, it's virtually impossible to "get ahead in the game".

If I have millions of dollars, who are you to tell me that I can't give it to my children? Hmmmmm?

That's not what I said. But I don't consider a millionaire and a humble worker to be economically equal, do you?

They are not, but now you're saying that I can't give my money to my kids because it makes them economically unequal.

Most flat tax proposals have either a minimum income cutoff or a tax prebate to address exactly the problem you're worried about, hammer.
Does that change your mind?

If you think 10% is too high, then the government should spend less and lower the tax.

Pretty sure you have to pay a tax on it when you bring it into the country.

Nope. I earned over 80k in Afghanistan one year... Earned income out of the country. Never paid a dime on it.

I'm specifically referring to the medals, I don't know about the income.

Medals are awarded overseas

You have to pay taxes on income made in other countries unless it's earned in a tax free zone.

Maybe that's it...