I concede that it's almost socialist in nature, but the rates aren't high enough for full redistribution. I don't see a problem paying a higher percentage as you make more money, within reason.
45% of Americans currently pay no taxes. I'm in the 65th percentile of income and pay 6.7%. The very wealthy pay the overwhelming majority of all taxes paid. If everyone suddenly paid 10%, do you think it would really have that effect?
@justrich...I'm guessing that you refer only to federal income tax. Everyone pays some tax...whether sales tax, gasoline tax, property tax (directly or indirectly), state income tax, social security and Medicare taxes...the list goes on.
So your post was misleading if you were referring to fed inc tax only. And that's a big part of the flaw in the conservative argument that such a high percent pay no tax...it's an outright lie.
It's not a lie nor misleading. Sure, they pay these other taxes, but imagine if they were suddenly subjected to a 10% flat tax. Would that not cripple the poor further? And would the rich not suddenly be getting a tax break?
That stat also serves to illustrate a very valid point: that the overwhelming majority of our taxes are paid by a small fraction of the population. To equalize that with a flat or fair tax would only make income inequality worse.
But you are still wrong. If you are just talking about federal tax...then say so. Don't make these statements about how few people pay taxes...when it is wrong. Just say so many % do not pay FEDERAL income tax. What's so hard about that?
Really? Are you arguing the semantics? Sure, 45% of Americans pay no federal income taxes, but they also pay little or no state income taxes, less property taxes, and less sales taxes. The only thing that's steady are FICA taxes.
They pay substantially less taxes than average and the point still remains: flat or fair tax will shift the tax burden and only exacerbate income inequality. What's your solution?
Show of Hands
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